Days in Stride
by dudeurfugly
Summary: Follow Alyx Winchester, Dean's daughter, as she goes through the ups and downs of her childhood and adolescence. Filled with temper tantrums, playground fights, and all sorts of dysfunctional fun. Part of the Beautiful Disaster 'verse. Please R&R!
1. Another Winchester

**Days in Stride**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, just borrowing for pure enjoyment. **

**Summary: A series of moments in Alyx Winchester's life, from the time Dean and Jo found out they were going to be parents, up until the story, 'Beautiful Disaster'. May include "deleted scenes" from 'Beautiful Disaster' as well. It might help to read 'Beautiful Disaster' first, if you haven't already… A/N: Thanks to St0pSmackinMe07 for the nifty title! **

Jo Winchester—as she was now formally known, since her wedding three months ago—lay beneath the soft sheets of the bed she shared with her husband, Dean, in their small apartment. She was lying on her side, watching the steady rise and fall of Dean's chest as he slept. The warm sunlight pouring from the window above enveloped them both, surrounding the newlyweds in a heavenly-like glow. Jo smiled; she had been watching him for quite awhile now. She had gotten up early this morning, and hadn't been able to fall back to sleep after running an errand and receiving some exciting news…

News she was going to share with Dean, once he woke up. She was almost tempted to wake him herself, but figured it was too cruel. He rarely got a chance to sleep in on the weekends. Actually, the couple didn't get to stay home on the weekends very often; they were too busy taking care of hunts with Dean's younger brother, Sam. The trio had teamed up for hunting gigs since Jo had moved in with the boys, a month or so prior to the wedding. She left behind the Roadhouse, Ash, and her mother, Ellen, to start her life here in Lawrence with the Winchesters. It was hard leaving, but it wasn't like she would never see them again. Especially now.

Jo draped her arm across Dean's chest, and rested her head gently on his shoulder. She was slightly surprised when he stirred, and started running his hand through her long, blonde hair. She looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his green. They shared a kiss, and Jo slid in closer to Dean.

"How long have you been up?" Dean questioned, his voice groggy.

"Awhile."

"Trouble sleeping?"

"Sort of." Jo answered. There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Somehow, Dean could just tell she was hiding something, but decided not to nag her about it. The two of them were both incredibly stubborn, so the argument would go absolutely nowhere anyway.

Jo sat up and climbed out of bed. Dean sat up as well, watching her carefully. She disappeared from the room for a moment, then returned, holding a large shoebox that was covered in wrapping paper. She sat back down on the bed, and handed the box over to Dean, who stared at it curiously.

"It's not my birthday."

Jo rolled her eyes, restraining herself from smacking her husband in the back of the head. Sure, he called out _her_ 'dumb blonde' moments all the time, but Dean was known to have some of his own. Jo loved him dearly, but he could be so dense sometimes.

"I _know_ that, Dean. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, then, what's this?"

"Just open it."

"This isn't some sick joke, right? I mean, nothing's gonna pop out at me or anything—"

"Dean, will you _shut up_ and open the damn box already?" Jo snapped. Dean threw up his hands in mock defense.

_Does he _always_ have to ruin the moment? _Jo wondered.

Apprehensively, Dean ripped the wrapping paper off the box and glanced at it before removing the top. Inside, there was a yellow rubber ducky, a pacifier, a pair of baby booties, and a book of baby names. He stared it, then at Jo, and finally, back at the random items placed in the box.

"Are…are you serious?" Dean asked, shocked. Thankfully, he had put the pieces together. Jo nodded, hardly able to contain her excitement.

"Yep. I'm pregnant, Dean! We're going to be parents!"Jo shouted happily. Dean pushed the box aside, and the newlyweds shared a kiss, Dean wrapping his arms lovingly around his wife's waist. Jo and Dean knew it was a slightly frightening thoughtto think of themselves as parents, but that worry was quickly replaced with pure joy.

Walking hand-in-hand, they went to the kitchen, where Sam was sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading over notes. He was taking some college courses, studying to become a high school Latin teacher.

"Mornin', Uncle Sammy." Dean said, not even bothering to hide his huge grin. Sam's head shot up, a look of genuine confusion plastered on his face. He looked at the two of them, both smiling madly.

"_Uncle_? Wait…Jo…you're—"Sam was at a loss for words. _Him_, an uncle?

"We're going to have a new addition to the Winchester family." Jo stated. Sam got up from the table and gave a Jo a hug, and clapped Dean on the back as a sort of 'congratulations' gesture.

"Wow…Congratulations, you two." Sam said, as the expecting parents took a seat at the table. Jo was absolutely beaming.

"Ya know, Sam, when the baby comes, you're gonna have to watch out. The baby might mistake you for an aunt instead of an uncle, with all the pansy stuff you pull." Dean laughed. Sam glared at his older brother.

"_Very funny_, Dean," Sam said flatly. "You're a _real_ comedian."

"Damn straight," Dean replied. "Jerk."

"Bitch." Sam countered. Jo rolled her eyes. _Poster boys for immaturity._ She thought.

It made her wonder if they were ready to welcome a little one into their lives.

'Cause God only knew that she had enough babysitting to do already.


	2. Daddy's Girl

Sam, Bobby and Ash were outside Jo's hospital room, waiting for the birth of the newest _female_ addition to the family. Dean, Ellen, and Missouri were inside with Jo. Sam was pacing anxiously back and forth in front of the door, while Bobby and Ash sat in plastic chairs pushed up against the wall. Bobby looked like he was going to doze off at any minute, while Ash was pulling absentmindedly at a loose thread on his jeans. None one could ignore the irony of the situation—the fact that Dean's child was going to be born on October 31, Halloween.

Sam hated hospitals. For him, they always carried a depressing atmosphere, and more often than not, they meant pain, and death. Hell, Dean had almost died in the two times that they'd visited one. Their father's life had ended in one as well. He was happy to be there this time for something good, at least.

Sam still couldn't grasp the fact that he was going to be an uncle, and Dean, a father. Somehow, Sam knew Dean would be good at it. He had taken on a father-like role when they were growing up, taking care of Sam and protecting him, as it was his unwritten duty. Just seeing how Dean acted with himself made Sam realize that that child was probably going to be the luckiest little girl in the entire world. He knew that Dean would do _anything_ for his child.

The guys' heads shot up all at once upon hearing the infant's cries coming from inside the room. A few moments later, the door opened and a beaming Dean stepped out.

"She's perfect." He declared. Sam smiled, and gave his brother a half-hug before entering the room with Bobby and Ash. Jo was sitting up in the bed, holding the bundle of joy in her arms, with Missouri and Ellen at her bedside. Jo smiled at them as they gathered around to catch a glimpse of the newborn.

"I'd like you to meet Alyxandria Mary Winchester." Jo told them. Sam smirked, sharing a knowing glance with Dean, at the young girl's namesake. Jo handed their baby girl over to Dean carefully. Sam stood behind his older brother, admiring Alyxandria. She was wide awake and alert, observing everything with curiosity. Her eyes were a grayish-blue, like all newborns'; it made Sam wonder whether hers would change to Jo's mahogany brown, or green, like his and Dean's eyes. There was already a fair amount of hair on top of her head; it wasn't blonde, like Jo, but light brown, like Dean. Sam could see both parents clearly in Alyxandria's features. In his own opinion, she was the cutest baby he had ever seen.

Dean pressed his finger lightly under Alyxandria's curled up fingers; her hand was balled up into a fist. Her fingers uncurled slowly and wrapped around Dean's index finger, which looked huge against her tiny hand.

"You have quite the grip, there, Alyx." Dean said quietly, grinning. The brothers watched as she returned the smile, briefly, at the sound of Dean's voice. Her eyes hadn't left her father since she had been placed in his arms.

Sam just _knew_ that she was going to be a "Daddy's Girl".


	3. Mullet Rock Lullaby

Jo and Dean learned early on that adjusting to parenthood isn't easy. Between the sleep deprivation, feedings, and changing diapers, they were lucky to have a moment to breathe. Little Alyx was keeping them on their toes 24/7. They were doing their best to make it work. Through all of the fighting and sleepless nights, they managed to, somehow. Dean agreed to take a brief break from hunting to help Jo at home, and was now looking for a house that they could afford, as well as a decent job.

It was around one o'clock on a Saturday morning, and the exhausted parents had just finished putting a fidgety, crying Alyx to bed. Sam was out of town, helping Bobby with research or something. Dean hadn't really paid any attention to the explanation Sam had given them before his departure.

The couple plopped down onto the couch with a sigh, Jo resting against Dean's shoulder. The apartment was quiet, finally, and they were alone for once. The two of them rarely got a chance to spend a few moments together these days. Dean started running his fingers through Jo's slightly disheveled hair, then cupped her face with his hands, and began kissing her.

"She's asleep," Dean pointed out between kisses, "We're alone…"

"Uh-huh."

"It's quiet…"

As if on cue, Alyx's cries lofted through the small apartment, breaking the silence.

"Not anymore," Jo answered, tearing herself away from Dean and rolling her eyes. "I'll go." She got off the couch, leaving her disappointed husband behind. She walked into the bedroom that she and Dean occupied, where Alyx's crib was set up. She picked up Alyx, who was wailing, and cradled the girl gently in her arms, swaying back and forth. "What's the matter, Sweet Pea?" Jo cooed, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead. However, Alyx continued to cry.

Dean walked in as he heard Jo's beautiful voice—he did not learn until after they were married that she could sing—singing the lullaby, "You Are My Sunshine" to their daughter. Unfortunately, it wasn't helping, despite how great it sounded.

"Here," Dean said, holding his arms out, "Let me try." Jo gave him a skeptical look, and passed Alyx over to her husband. She watched, her arms folded across her chest. Dean grinned down at his whimpering child and started singing "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns 'n' Roses. Jo hadn't known until now that _he_ could actually sing quite well.

The biggest shock was that Alyx stopped crying altogether. She just lay there, contently, in Dean's arms, watching as he sang.

"Well, who would've thought?" Jo mused, smirking. "She's all yours, Dean." She patted him on the shoulder, and walked out.

Alyx _was_ a "Daddy's Girl", after all.


	4. Family Gathering

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Supernatural, only my character, Alyx.**

"Got everything Jo?" Dean asked as he locked up the front door of their small, suburban home. They had finally purchased their own place a few weeks ago. The house was a few blocks away from the apartment complex where Sam was living. Dean had offered his younger brother a place to crash, since they had extra room to spare in the new house, but Sam insisted that he let them enjoy their first home as a couple.

"Yeah, I think so," Jo replied, kneeling on the backseat of the Impala, strapping Alyx, who was now two months old, into her car seat. Dean walked over and threw the remaining luggage into the trunk, before slamming it shut. Jo planted a kiss on Alyx's forehead, and climbed into the backseat next to their half-asleep daughter. Dean hopped into the driver's side and started the engine. "Remember that we have to pick up your brother." Dean nodded, and they sped off toward Sam's apartment.

The whole family—meaning the small group of hunters composed of Dean, Sam, Jo, Ellen, Bobby, Ash and Missouri—was going to meet at the Harvelle's Roadhouse to visit, since no one had really seen each other since Alyx's birth. Ellen had suggested the idea, really, because she had been going through separation anxiety from her granddaughter.

After they arrived at the apartment building, Sam placed his belongings into the trunk with the rest of the stuff and slid into the passenger's seat beside his older brother. Sam turned around to offer a smile at Jo and Alyx, although Alyx's car seat was turned around in the opposite direction, because of the strict regulations with infants.

"Hey Jo. How's my favorite niece?" he asked.

"Quiet," she laughed, "For now."

The drive to the Roadhouse wasn't all that bad. Alyx actually slept for most of the ride, and only got fussy when she wanted to eat or needed a diaper change. It was her first time out on the open road—somehow, the Winchester boys knew it wouldn't be her last time, either—and she had handled it exceptionally well for an infant.

A smile spread across Jo's face as they entered the nearly vacant parking lot of the Roadhouse. The familiar sight was comforting; she couldn't wait to bring her daughter into the place that had been like her home for a very long time. She knew Alyx wouldn't get much out of it, being only two months old, but she hoped to bring her back on occasion when she grew up, to experience the place that was very dear to the Harvelle family. She hoped that Alyx—once she discovered hunting and the supernatural—would confide in, befriend, and maybe learn from the many brilliant hunters that passed through the Roadhouse's doors every day. Jo had picked up on a lot of it herself while working there, and she had a feeling that Alyx would be intrigued by their stories of fighting the mysterious evils of the world as she had been.

Jo unbuckled Alyx from her car seat—she was wide-awake now—and grabbed the diaper bag before exiting the car. They walked up to the front door, and entered after tapping on the door lightly to acknowledge their arrival. Bobby and Ash were conversing over at the bar, while Ellen and Missouri sat at a table talking as well. Upon seeing the four of them, Ellen stood up, grinning.

"Jo," she said, giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek. She then turned to Dean and Sam, gracing them with a welcoming smile. "Hey, Sam, Dean. How have y'all been?"

"Great." The brothers replied, almost in unison.

Jo set down the diaper bag and gently handed Alyx over to Ellen, who was waiting eagerly to hold her granddaughter.

"Look at you, Sweet Pea. You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you." Ellen declared, walking back over to Missouri with Alyx in her arms. Dean, Jo, and Sam made the rounds of saying hello to everyone, then sat down to visit while baby Alyx was passed around carefully between family members. Once Ellen and Missouri had had a sufficient amount of time holding the newborn, Ellen handed her over to Ash.

Ash was new at the whole holding an infant thing; he had been too nervous to hold Alyx when she was first born, but this time Ellen had reassured him that it was all right, as long as he did it correctly.

"I can already tell that you're gonna be the rocker type," Ash whispered to Alyx. "Your Daddy said that you're already listening to the classics. But ya know what? I gotta teach ya somethin' that's been used for generations." Ash, with his free hand, made the 'rocker' symbol. "Think you can handle that?" He tried to move Alyx's tiny fingers gently to make the gesture, but her fingers stayed curled into a fist. "Well, maybe not for a few years…" He laughed. Alyx returned a small grin.

Bobby was the last to hold baby Alyx. The old hunter grinned at the sight of a third generation hunter. Alyx cooed in his arms, her now green eyes taking him in.

"You're gonna be one hell of a hunter some day, kid," He chuckled. After all, she had Dean, Sam, Jo, and the rest of her family to teach her everything. "You're one lucky little girl, Alyx." He mused aloud. The dull roar of conversation immediately ended when Ellen announced that she wanted everyone to move out to the parking lot for a 'family' picture. She had dug out an old tri-fold and an even older camera so they could all stand together without leaving anyone out.

In the end, the group of hunters were crowded around Dean's Impala, after he insisted stubbornly that the car was as much a part of the 'family' as everyone else. Dean leaned against the hood next to Jo, who held Alyx in her arms. Sam was on the other side of Jo with Missouri standing beside him, and Bobby was standing next to Dean. Ellen was next to Missouri, and Ash was beside Bobby, making the famous 'rocker' symbol with his hand. All were smiling, for once. It was definitely a scrapbook-worthy picture

_That_ was the dysfunctional, not-so-average family that they were all accustomed to.


	5. Sixth Month Mark

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural…unfortunately.

Dean cursed out loud, slamming his hand down on the steering wheel, angered. He should've never left town; he was kicking himself now for making that decision, thinking Jo and Alyx would be okay. That he'd be home in time, if anything should happen. Things weren't looking so great as of now.

It was Alyx's six month mark, meaning that the Demon could possibly attack. Dean and Sam had left the day before, after receiving a call from a friend of their father's. The woman, Isabelle, had been quite shaken up over a spirit that was, as she put it, "slowly destroying her house". She had begged them to come before things got out of control. Both Sam and Dean had been weary to take up the job with Alyx's six month birthday being so close, but Jo had told them to go anyway. It was a simple salt-and-burn gig, after all. It wouldn't take that long.

Only, no one had predicted the rain. A nasty, severe thunderstorm that was now delaying the drive home. The windshield wipers were going full blast, but Dean still couldn't see a blessed thing. He was getting frustrated. Angry. Worried. If that damn thing came tonight, there'd be literal Hell to pay.

Sam shifted in his seat, trying to remain calm. He watched his older brother as they drove along the almost deserted road; he was scared for all of them. Sam sighed and stared out the window, watching the rain make trails down the glass. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sam was seized with a piercing pain shooting through his head. He doubled over, pinching the bridge of his nose, focusing on the images running through his mind.

"Sam?" Dean yelled, pulling the Impala over to the side of the road quickly. "Sammy?" He took hold of his younger brother's shoulders as the pain receded and Sam opened his eyes. "Sam, what did you see?"

"It's Jo and Alyx…we have to hurry." Less than a second later, Dean's foot slammed down on the accelerator, and they were speeding down the road. Neither one cared what the speed limit was. They _had _to get home before it was too late.

As they neared Lawrence, the rain slowed down so it was just sprinkling. They were two streets away from the house when they saw an ambulance going in that direction. Sam's eyes grew wide in terror, while Dean's heart rate picked up considerably.

"No," Dean muttered mildly, "No…we can't be too late…" He sped up again, racing down the street after the ambulance. The Impala screeched to a halt across the street as the ambulance pulled into the driveway of their house. Two fire trucks and a few police cars were parked out front as well. The house was on fire; the flames rising higher, dancing wildly against the pitch-black sky. Dean bolted out of the car, and sprinted across the street--nearly getting hit by a pickup truck--and onto the front lawn.

"Jo!" he shouted desperately, "Alyx!" One of the firefighters grabbed his arm before he could get any closer.

"Sir, you're going to have to move onto the sidewalk!" he yelled over the noise.

"My wife…my daughter…they were in the house!" Dean cried.

"Step back, sir!" The firefighter warned.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, to get his brother's attention, as well as prevent him from doing something incredibly stupid. The elder Winchester spun around, panicked, to see Sam sitting on the back of the ambulance, next to Missouri, who was holding Alyx. He ran over to them, scooping his daughter into his arms; he kissed her and held her close. She was sobbing so hard it broke his heart.

"She okay?" Dean asked, his voice shaking. Missouri nodded. "And Jo?"  
He questioned, already dreading the answer. Missouri shook her head, a tear making its way down her face. She brushed it away and looked up at Dean gravely.

"She didn't make it," Missouri said. "She called me, scared…by the time I got here, she was…she was barely alive. She told me to get Alyx out of the house, so I did. That's when the fire started…" The psychic paused, wiping away another tear. "I begged her to let me help her out, too, but she wouldn't…"

Dean bit his bottom lip, fighting back the urge to charge into the house and break everything in sight, or start screaming to let out his now pent-up anger. Alyx's crying brought his attention back to his daughter.

"Shh…" he said, stroking her cheek, "It's okay, Alyx. It's going to be all right. I promise." Dean knew he had to be strong for her. He had to keep himself together because she needed him, and he needed her in return. She was his only reminder of Jo. She was the only girl in his life now.

Dean had to protect her. It was his duty. He'd do anything--_anything_ to keep her safe. That was a promise.


	6. Food Fight

"C'mon, Alyx, open up." Dean ordered baby Alyx, who was about eight months old now. She was sitting in her highchair, and Dean was attempting to feed her a jar of baby food, but she wasn't cooperating. She had her mouth shut tight, with no intention of opening it up anytime soon. This fight occurred every time, ever since Dean had started feeding her. Jo had always done it, and Alyx wasn't used to the change yet.

They were all still adjusting to life without Jo. Dean had moved into a new house about two weeks after the fire, and Sam had moved in with them to help take care of Alyx. It was hard, but they were trying to move on with their lives.

Dean sighed and looked into the small, plastic jar, staring at the mushy, olive green stuff that was supposed to be peas. At least, that's what it said on the label.

"Actually, I don't blame ya. This doesn't look appetizing at all," he stated. He sniffed at the jar's contents, then pulled it away quickly, regretting that decision. He made a face, making Alyx giggle. "Think that's funny?" Dean asked with a slight smirk. Alyx giggled again, clapping her hands together.

Dean scooped up another spoonful of mushy peas and tried to feed it to her yet again. She wasn't interested. Sam entered the kitchen, holding a box--they were still slowly unpacking from their move--just in time to see Alyx smack the spoon out of his brother's hand, sending the food flying. The peas landed right in the middle of Dean's face.

"Oh, man," Sam said, immediately going into a fit of laughter, "that was _awesome_."

"Shut up," Dean snapped, wiping the disgusting baby food off his face with a paper towel, "It's not funny." Sam set down the box, and walked over.

"Oh, it totally is." Sam answered, grinning. Alyx was giggling away.

"You think that's hilarious, don't you?" Dean asked his daughter. She smiled back at him. Dean scooped up some more peas from the jar with his finger and smeared it on Alyx's face. She stopped laughing, and just stared at him. "Yeah, not so funny _now_, is it?" Alyx stuck her finger in the peas that now covered her cheeks, and tried to reach Dean to put it on his forehead. He wiped the peas off her finger with the paper towel before she could succeed. "No, you don't…" He warned.

"Dean, that's not fair." Sam complained.

"What?" Dean asked, throwing his brother a look while cleaning off Alyx's face.

"You can't just mush peas on her and expect her _not_ to want to do it back."

"Whatever, dude."

Sam frowned, and took the jar and spoon from his brother. He scooped some peas up and handed the spoon to Alyx, helping her grip it with her fingers.

"Go for it, Ally." he said, smirking.

"Sam--" Dean began, but before he could yell at his little brother, Alyx finally figured out what Sam wanted her to do. Well, sort of. She flung the peas in Sam's direction, instead, making contact with his shirt. Both brothers stared at Alyx, then the mess on Sam's shirt. And then they started laughing like it was possibly the funniest thing they had ever seen.


	7. Walking and Talking

Alyx was a year old now. Dean was working a part-time job at a local mechanic's garage, and Sam was continuing his studies to become a high school Latin teacher. They were getting along fine since they had moved comfortably into their new house. One of the brothers was always there to take care of Alyx, and when they couldn't, for some reason, Missouri was willing to help. It looked like things were getting better for them, for now.

It was a lazy, chilly fall afternoon. Sam didn't have any classes, and Dean was going to be back from work in an hour. Alyx was crawling around on the floor; every so often, she'd get to her feet and walk, her legs wobbly and her steps uncertain. She was fairly new to this; she'd only been walking for a couple of weeks.

Alyx got up and walked over to Sam, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, watching her. He smiled as she plopped down in his lap.

"Hey, Ally." he greeted. She smiled, showing teeth that were almost all in, which Sam was thankful for. It had been quite an ordeal when she was teething, for both the brothers as well as Alyx.

Sam turned his niece around to face him, and she held onto his index fingers with her small hands. She was giggling and talking in baby gibberish, trying hard to say an actual word, but not quite getting it out correctly.

"Alyx," he called, getting her attention. She looked up at him. "Can you say 'Sammy'?" He repeated his name again, this time drawing out the syllables. She watched him closely, and thought about it for a moment.

"Da-Da." Alyx answered, smiling. Sam shook his head with a laugh. Dean had gotten her to say something close to 'Dad' or 'Daddy' a couple days ago, and that was about all she could say as of yet.

"No, Ally. Dean is Da-Da. I'm Sammy. Remember?" Sam pointed to himself for emphasis. She stared at him intently.

"'ammy!" she giggled. Sam laughed. It was as close as she was going to get with his name, for now, anyway.

"Right," he replied. "Good job!"

Suddenly, the front door opened and Dean shuffled in, his clothes covered in dirt and car oil. He threw his car keys on the table in the front hall, and his jean jacket in the closet.

"Da-Da!" Alyx called, picking herself up off Sam's lap and making a shaky walk to Dean.

"Hey, Alyx!" Dean said, bending down to give her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head. Sam ambled over to them, leaning against the doorway of the living room.

"'ammy!" she said, pointing excitedly to Sam. Dean laughed and gave her--or attempted to--a high-five.

"You are the smartest little one-year-old I know." Dean praised, picking up his daughter.

_Maybe someday_, he thought as they started toward the kitchen, _she'll be an even smarter hunter_...


	8. Terrible Two's

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing from Supernatural.**

It was a Saturday; Dean was reorganizing hunting equipment in the basement, and Sam was working on a paper for school on his laptop at the kitchen table. Alyx sat at the table with him--Dean didn't want her downstairs, fearing that she would somehow get hurt with all of the weaponry around--coloring in a coloring book Sam had given her to keep her busy. And out of trouble. Supposedly.

Alyx had hit her "terrible two's" stage, and these days, she was causing a lot of trouble and destruction around the house. And since she was walking better, the brothers could barely keep up with her. Sam had even had problems when giving her the coloring book a half hour ago. He had to tell her three times already to _not_ eat the crayons, and to color _on the paper_. He had caught Alyx trying to color on the table, the chair, and his laptop.

While Sam wasn't looking, Alyx slid off the chair as quietly as she could, crayons in hand. She moved over to the kitchen wall nearest to the table--the _white_ wall--and began scribbling on the surface with different colors. Once she was sure that her work of art was done, she set the crayons on the floor and walked over to where Sam was sitting.

"Sammy," she called (she was able to say his name lot better now), tugging at the sleeve of his shirt, "Look!" Sam glanced down at his niece, slightly annoyed.

"What is it, Ally?" he asked.

"Look!" she repeated, pointing at the wall. Sam looked over, jaw dropping in shock. He was so engrossed in his paper that he didn't notice what Alyx was doing. No wonder it had gotten so unbelievably quiet for the past five minutes…

Sam stood up quickly. "No, Alyx! You can't color on the _wall_! I told you to color in the _book_!" He scolded. Alyx scurried out of the room, giggling. "Alyx!" Sam ran after her, and found her hiding behind the couch. He scooped her up; she began kicking and fidgeting, trying to get away. He ignored her protests and placed her in the chair that had been designated as the 'time-out' chair. Alyx had become familiar with this particular chair in the last couple of weeks. "You're going to stay in here until I'm done cleaning the crayon off the wall."

"No!" she shouted back, pouting. 'No' was a favorite word in her very limited vocabulary. Sam shook his head and walked back to the kitchen, grabbing a scrubbing pad, a sponge, and soap. He regretted giving her the crayons now…

A few hours later…

Alyx had spent a good fifteen minutes in the 'time out' chair before being able to get out. It had taken Sam a lot of time and patience to scrub the multicolored crayon scribbles off the wall. There were still traces of it on the wall, but Sam didn't want to bother with it anymore. It was good enough.

After doing time for her crime, Alyx soon fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor. Neither brother wanted to move her, since they were afraid she'd wake up. So, they let her sleep there. The free time gave Sam a chance to finish his paper, and Dean a chance to relax. He ended up going upstairs to his room to watch TV.

Once Sam had finished his paper, he went into the living room to check on Alyx. When she wasn't lying on the living room floor like he expected, Sam immediately panicked. Where could she have possibly gone?

"Alyx?" he called. He heard a noise coming from the direction of the downstairs bathroom, and went to go check it out just as Dean was coming down the stairs.

"What's wrong, Sam? Where's Alyx?" Dean asked, worried at the tone of voice Sam had used when calling his daughter's name.

"She might be in the bathroom…" Sam said. He didn't know why she'd be in there, though; she wasn't potty-trained yet. The brothers dashed to the bathroom, and saw that Alyx was sitting on the floor, pulling at the roll of toilet paper that was mounted on the wall. It was almost all off the roll itself; it was on the floor around her, and in the hallway. She had made a complete mess. Again.

Dean frowned, and picked his daughter up off the floor. "Alyx, how many times have I told you not to unravel the toilet paper?" He asked her.

"I sorry, Da-Da." Alyx replied.

The next day…

Dean was buckling Alyx into her car seat in the back of the Impala, trying to get her to cooperate, which wasn't all that easy. She was the most squirmy two-year-old he'd ever seen, and that was saying a lot because Sam had been a very fidgety child at her age as well. Once she was buckled in, they were off to the local supermarket to stock up on supplies. The supermarket carried everything from food, to clothes, to toys, and everything else you could imagine in between. Which was good, because Alyx was in need of some new clothes; she was already out-growing some of hers.

When they arrived, Sam grabbed a cart and attempted to get Alyx to sit in it, but she strongly refused to. So, they had no choice but to let her walk with them, making sure she stayed close and held on of their hands. After getting food supplies, they had to make a pit-stop down the aisles with the toys, because Alyx did so every time they shopped there.

"I have this?" she asked, pulling some kind of Barbie doll off one of the shelves and waving it in the air near Sam.

"Not today, Ally." Sam said.

"_Pwease_?" she questioned, persistent, this time looking directly at her father.

"Maybe another day, Alyx." Dean told her, agreeing with Sam. He wasn't about to buy something for her that she'd play with for all of five minutes, get bored, and throw it in the toilet or something. He had learned this from experience.

Unfortunately, Dean's answer wasn't the one that she wanted to hear. She started jumping up and down, stomping her feet on the tiled floor, crying. The brothers shared a dreading glance.

A tantrum. In the middle of a crowded store, no less. Sam and Dean could feel every other person's eyes on them, criticizing their child-rearing skills. As if they didn't have enough staring already. Every time the Winchester boys entered the store, people automatically assumed that Alyx was _their _daughter, and not just Dean's. On more than one occasion, the employee at their checkout counter would say, "Oh, what a cute little girl you boys have." or something like that, to which Dean would promptly explain that Alyx is his, and that Sam is her uncle. It always bothered the two of them that people wouldn't realize this, considering Alyx looked so much like Dean, it was scary.

"I wanna have it!" Alyx shrieked, holding onto the doll for dear life. Dean tried to grab it from her, but she took off running down the aisle, beginning a mad chase through the store. Both Dean and Sam ran after her up and down the aisles, calling her name and telling her to stop while all of the shoppers watched, awestruck.

The brothers sprinted down an aisle that Alyx had run into, only to discover that she was nowhere in sight. They both began panicking this time. How is it that they could hunt down supernatural creatures, but they couldn't keep track of a two-year-old girl?

"Where'd she go?" Dean asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied, his face showing as much concern as his older brother's. "Alyx!"

They yelled out her name, running up and down the aisles once again, trying to find her. Dean was extremely worried…what if something happened to her? What if some crazy psychopath took her?

The brothers paused, out of breath, upon seeing a heavily-built security guard strolling down one of the main aisles; Alyx was holding onto his hand, grinning. The Barbie doll she had been holding onto was gone; she must've ditched it along the way. Dean breathed a sigh of relief.

"She yours?" The security guard asked them. Dean stepped forward and nodded.

"Yeah, she's mine. Thank you…" Dean picked Alyx up, hugging her close as the security guard walked away, shaking his head. "You scared us, baby. We didn't know where you were. You can't run off like that, Sweet Pea. I was afraid someone was going to take you away from us. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

"No," Alyx muttered quietly, "I sorry, Da-Da."

Dean hoped that the "terrible two's" stage wouldn't last for much longer…

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it…lol. As for the toilet paper incident, that came from experience, because apparently I did that numerous times when I was a toddler.


	9. Bath Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just Alyx.**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this for awhile. I've had a bit of writer's block, and I was busy with 'The Devil Game'.**

"Alyx, come on, sweetheart. Time for a bath." Dean told the three-year-old, who was seated in front of the television in the living room. She was watching one of her favorite shows, _Sesame Street_, with a plush, stuffed-animal version of Elmo hooked under her right arm. She seemed to be tuning him out, which she often did when Dean uttered the dreadful word 'bath' around her. Like most kids her age, Alyx hated bath time. She almost always threw one of her famous temper-tantrums when Dean carried her up the stairs to the bathroom. The young father had been used to it; after all, he'd taken care of Sammy.

"No, Daddy." Alyx protested calmly after a long silence. Her eyes were glued to her favorite friendly, red monster who was now singing about friendship on the TV screen. Dean sighed, and then tried to reason with his daughter.

"Alyx, you can watch that later. I'll put in one of the videos for you. Come on." Dean bribed. 'Cause God only knew how many of those videos they actually owned. It seemed like they bought a new one every time they went to the store. Dean didn't really understand how she could be so obsessed with a show about furry puppets who sang about everything from food to important life lessons, but it kept her occupied.

When Alyx didn't budge, Dean picked up the remote and turned off the TV. He snuck up behind his daughter, and tickled her on her sides and her tummy, making her infectious laughter fill the room.

"Daddy!" she yelled, in hysterics, trying to catch her breath as Dean scooped her up into his arms. He carried her into the bathroom, flicking on the light on his way in. He closed the door and set Alyx down gently. She climbed up on top of the closed toilet seat, watching her father grab towels from the cabinet by the bathtub. Dean spread one of the towels onto the hardwood floor next to the bathtub, and set the other one on the edge of the sink. He placed the plug into the drain and turned on the faucet to fill the tub up, making sure the water was just right. Once the tub was filled to a sufficient level, he turned off the faucet and went over to Alyx.

Knowing the drill already, Alyx hopped down from the toilet seat, her small, bare feet hitting the hardwood with a slight thud. Dean crouched down to her level, and untangled the ponytail holder from her wavy, light brown hair, throwing it onto the counter. Automatically, the three-year-old lifted up her arms so Dean could pull her shirt off over her head. He tossed it aside as Alyx was working her way out of her jeans. Dean decided to let her do it herself, observing her as she did so.

Alyx had gotten the dark, denim jeans down as far as her hips, and since her feet were hidden beneath the fabric, she chose to sit on the floor to pull them the rest of the way off. Once she did so, she tossed them in the direction where she had seen her father throw her shirt.

"Good job, princess." Dean praised, as Alyx held onto his shoulders so she could get out of her undergarments. Then, he hoisted her into the tub, and she took a seat, shivering for only a moment before getting used to the temperature of the water. Alyx picked up the small, purple speedboat that she played with in the tub off the edge of the cool porcelain, and began pushing it around the water, making whirring sounds like a motor. Then, she started tossing it up and down, splashing the water all over Dean.

"Hey, hey…no splashing, missy," he warned with a smirk. Alyx instinctively dropped the boat and began splashing water at her father on purpose. "Okay, cut it out." When she didn't let up, Dean grabbed the plastic cup from off the counter and filled up with water. "Close your eyes." he told her. The splashing ceased, and Alyx closed her eyes, giggling as the warm water poured over her head, soaking her hair. He did that once more, then picked up a bottle of strawberry scented shampoo, pouring a decent amount into the palm of his hand. Dean massaged the cool gel into his daughter's hair as she squirmed slightly.

"Daddy, when is Sammy coming home?" Alyx wanted to know.

"In a little while, sweetheart." Dean answered. Alyx stayed quiet for a moment, looking around the bathroom as her father finished shampooing her hair.

"Daddy," she piped up again suddenly, "Did Mommy give me baths when I was little?" This question came as a shock for Dean. Sure, Alyx could speak quite well these days, despite her age; she was a very smart, inquisitive young girl. But she had never really asked Dean about Jo. Dean didn't actually talk too much about his wife, but he took Alyx with him when he and Sam visited her grave every year. He and his brother had explained to Alyx when she was two that her mother was in a better place now, but Dean doubted that his little girl understood the concept.

Dean cleared his throat. "Of course she did, baby."

"Did I splash her, too?" she smiled.

Dean smirked. "Yep. You used to kick your little legs and get her all wet. She didn't mind it, though. She thought it was cute." Dean picked up the plastic cup again, filling it with water. He placed his hand gently over Alyx's eyes to shield them from the soap as he washed it out of her hair. As soon as all of the shampoo was out, he grabbed a washcloth and got it wet, then rubbed some soap on it from the bar that had been lying on the shelf in the back of the bathtub. He washed Alyx, scrunching his nose up afterward when he saw how grimy the washcloth had become.

"What the heck have you been doing, Alyx? Rolling around in dirt?" he inquired. Alyx laughed.

"No…" she replied innocently.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!" she giggled. Then, after a second she asked, "Are you done, now, Daddy?"

"Yep, you're all clean. Go ahead and pull the plug out." Dean instructed. Alyx nodded and grabbed the chain of the plug. With a hard yank, the thing came free, sending the water flowing into the drain. Once half the water had gone down, Alyx stood up, shivering slightly.

"C-Cold…" she told Dean, her teeth chattering. Dean picked up the towel that he had left on the corner of the sink. He dried her off a bit before wrapping her tightly in the towel and scooping her back into his arms. He opened the door and carried his daughter into her bedroom, setting her on her bed. Dean went over to her dresser and got fresh underwear and a light blue nightgown for her to wear. Dean took the towel off and helped her into her underwear, but when he went to put on her nightgown, she refused.

"No, Daddy, I don't want to wear _that_." she told him. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yeah? Well, what would you like to wear, princess?" he asked. Alyx climbed down from her bed and took off running down the upstairs hall, half naked. Dean followed her into his room, where she had opened up a drawer of his shirts. She was rifling through them, throwing some onto the floor. She finally picked one out, and held it up to Dean. It was an old Metallica T-shirt that she had seen him wear on occasion. Leave it to _his _daughter to pick _that_ one.

"This one." she stated.

"Sweetheart, that's too big for you."

"Please, Daddy?" Alyx pleaded, giving him a puppy dog look. Ya know, with her bottom lip sticking out and everything. She looked exactly like Sam at that age; he had tried that look on Dean many, many times and it always seemed to work. What was his brother teaching her behind his back?

"Fine." he sighed, and pulled the large T-shirt over Alyx's head, guiding her arms into the correct holes. She was swimming in the thing; the bottom of it hit the floor, hiding her legs and feet. But she looked so cute in it that Dean let it go. Alyx took her father's hand, and they walked downstairs, retreating to the couch. Dean put in a _Sesame Street _DVD, as promised, and the two of them watched until they both drifted off to sleep.

Sam came home to find the house completely silent. He smiled when he discovered the father-daughter pair curled up on the couch. Alyx was dressed in Dean's Metallica T-shirt, sleeping soundly on Dean's chest, while Dean slept with his arms around his little girl, holding her protectively. It was just another one of those Kodak moments…


	10. The Park Incident

Disclaimer I don't own anything except for Alyx…

Four-year-old Alyx sat on a chair in the kitchen while Sam knelt on the floor in front of her, tying up the laces of her navy blue Converse sneakers. She wore a pair of jeans that were severely faded at the knees from the daily wear-and-tear, and a T-shirt bearing the phrase "Daddy's Girl" in a gothic-style font. Dean had bought the shirt for her a few days ago when he took Alyx shopping for new clothes. He let Alyx pick out her own outfits, and was surprised how her wardrobe had become more tomboy-ish. These days, she preferred jeans and overalls over skirts and dresses. The boys were sort of happy with this change, finding it easier to shop for Alyx.

"All set," Sam declared once the laces were tied. "Ally, go grab your jacket."

The little girl nodded and hopped down from the chair. She ran over to the back door, where her jean jacket was hung up on a hook that she could reach. Alyx tugged on the bottom of the jacket until it tumbled down into her arms. She ran back to Sam, dragging the jacket behind her.

"Uncle Sammy, where are we going?" Alyx asked. Sam smirked as he buttoned up her jacket.

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Alyx demanded, looking at him with a small frown. Sam laughed.

"It's a surprise."

Alyx perked up. "Oh, okay."

"Come on," Sam said, holding out his hand. Alyx took his hand in her small one, and Sam led her outside to his car. He had gotten a new SUV, since just having the Impala wasn't working out so well, with his and Dean's schedule. The younger Winchester brother helped his niece into her car seat in the back, then slid into the driver's seat. "Ready to go?" he asked, looking back at her. Alyx nodded eagerly.

Sam started the car, and they drove off. It was about a twenty minute drive until they reached their destination. Alyx kept her gaze out the window; Sam could tell that she was trying to figure out where exactly he was taking her. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. When they pulled into the parking lot of the local playground, Alyx smiled. Sam got out and helped her out of the car, holding her hand as they walked over to the playground filled with kids of different ages.

"I can play?" the four-year-old questioned.

"Go ahead. Just stay over on this playground, okay? Don't go wandering off." Sam instructed. He took a seat on the end of a bench, watching his niece climb up onto the playground and go down a slide. Once she reached the ground, she went back on and started exploring the different paths, stairs, and towers. She clambered up the ladder of the tallest slide, and sat at the top.

"Uncle Sammy, look!" she ordered. Sam stood up and watched as Alyx went proudly down the huge slide, a grin on her face. Energetically, she hopped off the end and wandered back over to the main play area. Sam sat down and looked away for one _second_, and when he focused his attention back to Alyx, she was sitting on the wood chips on the ground, crying, nursing her knee. Alarmed, Sam quickly got to his feet and dashed over in record time, picking Alyx up off the ground. He brought her back to the bench and sat her down, asking her to explain what happened.

"I f-fell…" she sobbed, wiping furiously at the tears running down her face. Sam saw that her fall had torn a hole in her already severely faded jeans, and that she had scraped her knee.

"Shh, Ally, it's okay. We'll go back to the car, and I'll clean you up." Sam told her. He lifted her into his arms and walked to the car, where he set her down for a moment. He opened up the back hatch, and sat her down inside while he dug out a first aid kit. Sam washed the wound and cleaned it with an antiseptic, with Alyx quietly sniffling the entire time. He placed a band-aid on it, and gave his niece a kiss to make her calm down.

"It still hurts." Alyx stated, with a slight sniffle. Sam thought for a moment, and got an idea to cheer his injured niece up.

"Will ice cream make it better?" he asked.

Alyx looked up at him with a priceless smile. "Yes."

"Okay, then. Ice cream it is." Sam decided. He helped her into her seat and they drove off toward the nearest ice cream parlor; Sam remembering all of the times Dean had done the same for him when they were little.


	11. Kindergarten

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing that you recognize.**

Dean sat in the Impala, hands folded behind his head, leaning back comfortably as he stared at the brick building whose parking lot he was currently located in. It was eleven-thirty in the morning--his lunch break--and he was using the free time to spy on his daughter, who had just started kindergarten that morning. He came over when he knew the kids were having recess, and found he could immediately pick out his own child from the group of rowdy, noisy kids.

The reason for this was that, unfortunately, Alyx was the loner. Dean had been watching her for the past ten minutes, and he saw that unlike everyone else, his little girl was off by herself, wandering aimlessly around the playground, not uttering a single word to any of her classmates. Dean warned Sam about this because somehow he _knew_ Alyx would have trouble fitting in and making friends. He had this idea in his head that just because she was a Winchester, she automatically lacked the ability to conform. This caused a fairly heated debate on whether or not Alyx should in fact be sent off to school in the fall.

Dean did not want to send her to be taught things she didn't even need to know by a bunch of strangers. The thought of leaving her alone at school killed him. What if something happened and he couldn't get to her? Sam argued that it would be a good learning experience for her. He told his older brother that Alyx would have to interact with the outside world at _some_ point in her life. But Dean, being the overprotective father that he is, didn't want Alyx to be sent out into the harsh realities of the world just yet. Couldn't he shield her from it for a little while longer? Couldn't she stay small and innocent forever? He'd like to think that she would, but unfortunately, Dean knew it didn't work that way.

And so, Dean and Sam enrolled her into the grammar school that was a short ride from their house, to participate in the kindergarten program. They received a supply list from the school during the summer, and went shopping for the things Alyx needed, as well as some new clothes. Dean wondered if she'd be the only five-year-old girl in her class that came to school wearing an AC/DC T-shirt and jeans. Not that it mattered any.

Finally, the morning came when Dean's little girl had to go off to school. Sam got her up and helped her get ready, and Dean made her favorite breakfast food--chocolate chip pancakes. The brothers went over the proper behavior for her to display at school, putting emphasis on the rules of 'please' and 'thank you', and the concept of sharing with the other kids. After breakfast, they drove her to the grammar school. Dean pulled into the parking lot, heaving a sigh, and helped her out of the back. Sam handed Alyx her new, turquoise blue backpack filled with the necessary supplies, as well as a packed lunch in a brown paper bag labeled with her name.

Before entering, the three of them stood in front of the entrance, with Alyx gawking at the sheer size of the building. To her, it was massive. Dean was afraid that she'd suddenly burst into tears or something. He crouched down slightly, placing a hand on her small shoulder.

"You ready to go in?" he asked. Alyx nodded, and Dean took hold of her hand. They walked inside, down two flights of stairs to the lowest level. Taking a right, they entered the kindergarten wing. There were about five classrooms, each with ten or so cubby holes for the children to store their belongings. The walls in the kindergarten wing were adorned with colorful posters and pictures, as well as some charts with the ABC's and numbers. Since the rooms went alphabetically, Alyx had been placed in the room farthest down the hall. Her teacher, Mrs. Collins, stood by the doorway to greet the new students; some of which had already been dropped off and were inside at a large, round table, chatting excitedly.

Dean and Sam approached Mrs. Collins, with Alyx standing in between them. Alyx was looking at the unfamiliar woman with curly, blonde hair and warm, brown eyes in slight confusion. Mrs. Collins gave the five-year-old a welcoming smile, to which Alyx responded by hiding partially behind her uncle. Sam laughed, wondering when she had become so shy all of a sudden.

The elder Winchester brother stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my brother, Sam. My daughter, Alyx, is a student in your class."

"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Collins replied, shaking both of their hands, "I'm Megan Collins, and I'll be your daughter's teacher for this year."

Sam took Alyx's hand and stepped aside so she couldn't hide any longer. "Ally, why don't you say hi to your new teacher?" he suggested. Alyx didn't say a word, and instead hid behind her father.

"Sorry," Dean apologized with a slightly nervous laugh, "She usually isn't this shy."

"Oh, it's all right. I'm sure she'll get more talkative as the day goes on," Mrs. Collins said. "I'll just let you two say goodbye to her, and then she can come on in when she's ready." With that, the kind young woman entered the classroom to watch the rest of her class.

Dean knelt down to her level. "Alyx, me and your Uncle Sam have to go now, but we'll see you later, okay?" Alyx shook her head 'no' quickly. Sam crouched down to her level as well, concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Not giving an answer, she shook her head again. "Ally, I thought you were excited about going to school."

"Can't you come with me?" the five-year-old asked, in a frightened tone. Dean didn't even recognize the tiny voice as his daughter's.

"I wish we could," Dean told her, "but you know what? Me and Uncle Sammy, we're a little too _big_ for kindergarten. There's a lot of kids in there that are _your_ age, and I'm pretty sure that you'll get along great with them."

"Okay." Alyx answered, after giving thought to her father's statement. Dean gave her a kiss on the cheek, and so did Sam.

"We'll see you later, Sweet Pea."

Alyx nodded, and followed the teacher into the classroom. Dean stood, watching, as Mrs. Collins told her to take a seat at the table with the other kids. She did so, and sat quietly, observing her new classmates with curiosity.

"Dean," Sam called. He was halfway down the hall, and had stopped when he noticed that his brother hadn't been following him. "Dean." he repeated louder, since obviously he hadn't heard him the first time.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning around.

"She'll be okay, Dean," Sam reassured him. Dean gave a slight nod, and started walking without saying a word. As he fell in step with his brother, Sam could tell that he was fighting the urge to take another glance back at the classroom. "It's not like we're leaving her there permanently." he added.

"Yeah, I know, Sammy. It's just…" He trailed off, but he didn't need to finish. Sam knew he was afraid of letting her go; letting her grow up when he wished she could keep her innocence. Because, some day, they'd have to tell her everything. This, they both knew, was practically inevitable. Alyx starting school somehow set that in motion.

The brothers headed back home. Dean dropped Sam off, and went to work. The work day went on as usual, but Dean couldn't get his daughter off his mind. He wondered if every parent was this worrisome when sending their kids to school for the very first time. Probably not, because Dean had reason to worry. He knew the things that were out there--the _dark_ things. Hell, the kindergarten wing could be haunted for all he knew. But the supernatural aspect was only one of his concerns. Dean wondered how Alyx was doing, if she was making friends and all that.

Which is why he decided to spy on her during recess. He didn't exactly think of it as spying, per se. It was more like keeping an eye on her. And, right now, she wasn't doing much of anything. She was standing off to the side, watching two other girls drawing on the pavement with chalk. Dean was about to go over and take her home and just tell Sam that the whole school thing clearly was not a good idea, when one of the two girls playing with chalk stood up and offered a piece to Alyx.

Intrigued to see how Alyx would react, Dean sat up and leaned over the steering wheel. He saw the girl say something to Alyx, then Alyx took the piece of chalk that the girl was holding out to her. The girl knelt back down on the pavement beside her friend, and Alyx followed. The girl seemed to be introducing Alyx to the other girl, and soon, to Dean's surprise, the three of them were deep in conversation.

_Well, what do you know..._Dean thought with a smile, _Maybe Sam was right after all_.


	12. 21 Questions

**Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own anything besides Alyx.**

Six-year-old Alyx stood in the doorway of her father's bedroom, watching as he rushed back and forth, throwing clothes into the worn duffel bag that was thrown onto the bed in a hurry. She had seen her uncle doing the same thing, and wondered why they were acting this way. Alyx knew that whenever they were packing up their things, it meant that they had to go on one of their business trips, and she'd be sent off to Missouri's until they returned. She wished that they didn't have to leave so quickly all the time, and she absolutely hated it when neither of them told her where they were going. She'd ask them plenty of times where exactly it was that they'd disappeared to after they came home, and neither her father nor uncle ever gave her a straight answer. Alyx had even asked Missouri once, but she suddenly got quiet and changed the subject by asking Alyx if she wanted to bake cookies or go to the park.

And when they came home with injuries, well, that was a totally different story. Alyx had seen the two of them return with cuts all over them and nasty bruises. She never said anything about it, but it honestly scared her to see either of them in that sort of condition. Since when did going on a business trip mean getting hurt? She didn't know what her father or uncle did besides their normal day jobs that required these trips. Alyx had spoken to her friends at school, and they said that whenever their Daddies went off on business trips, they'd wear fancy suits and fly on an airplane. But not her dad. He and her uncle took the Impala and wore jeans and shirts like they always did.

Alyx knew, being the smart and inquisitive child that she was, that her father's and uncle's business trips were much different than other Dads' business trips. And she was determined to get answers this time. Alyx walked into the room, making sure to stay out of her father's way.

"Daddy?" she asked hesitantly. Dean looked up from cramming clothes into his duffel bag and saw his daughter standing nearby.

"What is it, Alyx?" he questioned.

"Where are you going?"

"Me and Uncle Sam have another business trip. You're going to stay at Missouri's for the weekend, so go pack some clothes and stuff, all right?"

Alyx rolled her eyes. "But _where_ are you going?"

"That doesn't matter…just go pack your things."

"_Daddy_," Alyx said firmly. "I wanna know. And I wanna know why you guys come back with boo-boos all the time. 'Cause my friends say their Daddies don't, and they go on business trips a lot."

Dean paused. He knew he was stuck, and he wasn't going to win this battle this time. Alyx was six, and he actually wanted to wait two more years before telling her everything, but she obviously wasn't going to let him. To say that he wasn't exactly prepared to give the whole 'The Truth is Out There' speech to his daughter was an understatement of the year. He doubted that he could explain it so she would understand, but he'd give it his best shot.

Dean sighed, wiping a palm over his face. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, and gestured for Alyx to follow. She walked over, and Dean pulled her up onto his lap. She looked up at him expectantly.

"Dean, are you--" Sam stopped short in the doorway when he saw the father-daughter pair. Dean looked up at his younger sibling, an expression of understanding passing between them.

"Sammy, can you, uh, go wait in the car?" Dean inquired quietly.

"Yeah, sure." With that, Sam disappeared in the direction of the stairs, carrying his bags. Alyx glanced up at her father again, and saw a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Am I in trouble? I didn't mean to ask, Daddy, but I--"

Dean cut her off. "No, no, you're not in trouble. It's okay…I just wasn't ready for this, that's all. Alyx, I just don't know if you're old enough to understand what I'm going to say."

Alyx nodded eagerly, and Dean continued. "I don't know how to start, but, uh…well, you're right about one thing, Alyx. Sam and I, we go on these business trips, but their not like the other parents' business trips. We have another job, and it's a lot more dangerous. That's why we get hurt sometimes. We're what people call hunters, Alyx."

"What do you hunt?"

"Well, that's the unusual part about it. You know, how on Halloween everyone pretends to dress up like ghosts and all that? And everyone tells you not to be scared of them because they're not real?" he asked. Alyx nodded. "Ghosts, spirits, demons…all of that stuff--it's _real_, Ally. It's what me and your uncle hunt."

Dean observed her face, as she took all of this information in. "But why do people always say they're not real?"

"Most people have never seen any of it, so they don't believe in things like ghosts or urban legends. That's why you can't tell anyone about what we do, all right? You have to keep this a secret from your teachers, friends--_everyone_. It's important, okay?"

"Yes. Does Missouri know?"

"Yeah, she does. And your grandma, Ellen, and Bobby and Ash know, too. Ellen and Bobby are hunters, and Ash hunts sometimes. But, _please_, Alyx you can't say a word of this to anyone outside of the family."

"I won't," Alyx promised. She thought about everything her father had told her, and asked, "Why do you and Uncle Sammy hunt, Daddy?"

Dean hesitated, wondering if he should give her the full story, which would mean telling her the truth about how Jo died. "Uh, well, Grandpa John hunted for a long time before you were born, and he taught us how to hunt, too."

"But _why_?"

She wasn't going to let this go, Dean knew. "Remember how I told you that your grandma, Mary, died when I was little?" Alyx nodded. "She was killed by a demon, Alyx. And that's why your grandpa started hunting. He wanted to find this demon and get rid of it so it wouldn't hurt anyone else."

"Oh," Alyx said, shocked. Dean doubted she knew exactly what a demon was, but in time, she'd learn. "Did Grandpa John get rid of it?"

Dean heaved a sigh, and Alyx noticed the sadness in his eyes again. "No, Sweet Pea, he didn't. The Demon…it took him, too," She was about to open her mouth and say something, but he cut in. "Alyx, I…uh, I don't know how to say this, but your mother…she didn't die in a car accident. The Demon killed her when you were just a baby. I'm sorry…I'm sorry we lied to you, but it was for your protection."

The six-year-old thought this over. "Are you and Uncle Sammy still looking for it?" she questioned softly.

"Yeah," Dean replied solemnly, "we are."

"I can help, too!" she suggested eagerly. "Daddy, I can help you and Uncle Sammy. I can be a hunter. You can teach me!" Dean laughed. "And we can find the de-_demon_ so it can't hurt any other kids' Mommies."

That one little statement from his six-year-old daughter just about broke his heart.

"Maybe someday, kiddo. When you're a bit older." he stated, ruffling her hair.

"_Really_?"

"Yep," he said as Alyx hopped down from his lap. "Now, go get your stuff for Missouri's."

Alyx did as she was told, and followed her father out to the Impala ten minutes later. She climbed into the backseat, and not a word was said about their conversation the entire way to Missouri's house. When they arrived, the psychic greeted them at the door, and Alyx stood beside her on the porch, holding her belongings. She said goodbye to Sam and Dean, giving them each a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck!" Alyx called from the porch. "Kick those bad guys' butts!"

Sam looked at Dean and laughed. Missouri glanced at Alyx, surprised, then started laughing right along with them.


	13. Target Practice

**Disclaimer: Not mine...I swear.**

Alyx stood in the front hall of the house, rocking back and forth on her heels anxiously. She kept glancing in the direction of the door leading down to the basement, wondering when Sam and Dean would appear. The seven-year-old was excited--and a tad bit nervous--that her father and uncle were taking her to a shooting range to practice firing off guns. Alyx had been learning the ropes of the hunting business for the past year now. She could give information about ghosts, demons and any other paranormal creature if asked. She could correctly pronounce the Latin exorcism ritual. She knew the different defenses against most evil beings, hand-to-hand combat, and how to properly hold the types of guns Dean and Sam used. Yet, she hadn't been able to actually fire one.

Of course, she had practiced with the BB gun Bobby had sent her for Christmas. Dean had set up a target in the backyard, and she'd stay out there till dusk trying to get a bulls eye, determined. Now, she was basically a pro--despite that _one_ incident where Sam accidentally ended up as the target instead. However, it just wasn't the same as the real thing. Alyx had discussed the possibility of visiting a shooting range numerous times with the Winchester boys, but the two of them agreed that she was still too young.

But, Alyx could be just as stubborn as her father and uncle. So, she persisted, and after her seventh birthday, Dean and Sam both gave their consent to take her. When the time finally came around, she found herself feeling both worried and eager. Worried in the sense that she'd mess up and disappoint the two of them after all they'd taught her.

Suddenly, the basement door opened, and Sam and Dean came into view; Dean holding the duffel bag of guns they had decided to bring along with them.

"Ready to go, kiddo?" Dean asked. Alyx nodded animatedly, and followed her uncle and father out the door to the Impala. While Dean placed the weapons bag into the trunk, Sam helped Alyx get situated in the back seat. Sam offered her a smile, ruffling her hair before closing the door.

The half-hour drive to the shooting range was like a test for Alyx. Meaning, Dean and Sam would ask questions at random. It was like some crazy, supernatural-related game show. That's how Dean described it, anyways.

"How do you repel a demon?" was Dean's first inquiry.

"Easy," the seven-year-old replied with the same tone of arrogance Dean carried. "Salt or holy water."

"How about a ghost?" Sam asked.

"Rock salt."

"And how do you get rid of an angry spirit?" Dean asked.

"Dig up their bones and salt and burn them." Alyx answered.

"Classic signs of a poltergeist?" Sam wanted to know. Alyx thought for a moment.

"Flickering lights, scratching sounds, weird noises, things turning on by themselves…" she trailed off.

"Good," Sam praised. "And how do you tell if someone's possessed? Or there's a demon around?"

"Sulfur," she responded. "Their eyes could be black, and if you throw holy water on them it burns, and they don't like the name of God…in _Latin_."

"That's my girl," Dean said proudly, as they pulled into the gravel parking lot. "One more--how do you get rid of a Shape shifter?"

"Silver bullet to the heart." the seven-year-old answered back simply.

Alyx climbed out of the Impala as Dean was slinging the duffel bag over his shoulder. Holding Sam's hand, she and the two Winchester men walked up to the run down, shed-looking building to pay for an hour of target practice. The man working behind the counter was most likely in his sixties, with gray hair and large glasses. Once Sam, Dean and Alyx approached him, he looked between the two boys, then at the little girl that they had with them, puzzled.

Dean felt uncomfortable at the fact that he was gawking at the three of them so rudely. He cleared his throat. "I'd like to pay for an hour."

"The three of ya?" the man questioned, still a bit stunned.

Dean nodded, sliding a ten across the counter. The man took it, and gave them three pairs of ear plugs to protect their ears from the noise, and three pairs of glasses to shield their eyes as a safety precaution. Dean adjusted the duffel bag on his shoulder and they walked off to their designated target.

"What was that dude's problem?" he asked his younger brother.

Sam shook his head with a slight smirk. "Dean, I don't think the guy gets many people who bring their seven-year-old _daughters _to a shooting range."

"Well, we're not like _other_ people."

"Yeah, but I don't think _he_ was aware of that."

The three of them stopped in front of their target, which was about one hundred feet away, maybe a little farther than that. There was another one closer, at maybe fifty feet, and one more at twenty five feet. They were all evenly spaced apart so that you could choose which one to hit from where you stood. Dean helped his daughter get the earplugs into her ears and the glasses on her face, which were easily a size too big for her.

As Dean bent down to pull out his shotgun, Alyx heaved a sigh. Sam was the one who noticed her tense expression.

"You okay, Ally?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Nervous?"

"A little," she admitted. "Uncle Sammy, what if I mess up?"

Sam laughed. "It's all right. No one's perfect. You're just practicing--there's room for mistakes, trust me." Alyx nodded.

"You remember how to hold this thing?" Dean asked, holding the shotgun out to her. She took it, positioning it correctly in her hands. Dean stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders to make sure she didn't fall. Alyx focused her eyes on the target that was fifty feet away, her finger on the trigger. Sam counted to three, and the gun went off. The pressure made Alyx stumble backward a bit, but Dean was there to steady her.

"Wow," Sam said, surprised. "You were pretty close to the bulls eye, Ally. Take a look."

The seven-year-old squinted, and found that the bullet hole was particularly close to the center. "Cool." she said, smiling.

"You're a natural," Dean declared. "just like your old man." Alyx giggled, and Sam rolled his eyes. There wasn't a doubt that when she got better at this, she'd be making egotistical comments like her father.

By the time their hour was up, Alyx had hit the bulls eye twice. She was picking it up dangerously fast, in true Winchester fashion.

Bobby was right--she _was_ going to be one hell of a hunter.


	14. Thanksgiving

**Disclaimer: Not mine...**

Usually, Thanksgiving isn't a big deal in the Winchester household. Dean gets a pre-made meal, and it's an excuse to not eat something that _isn't_ fast food. It's also a reason to actually _use_ the dining room table for once.

However, the year that Alyx was eight, Dean was in a rare mood and decided to try cooking an entire Thanksgiving dinner by himself. He even decided that it was good idea to invite the family--meaning Missouri, Bobby, Ellen, and Ash--over for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Sam thought he was completely insane, while Alyx wondered if her father was capable of cooking a successful, _edible_ meal, especially since he'd expressly told them both that he did not need their help. Sure, she'd seen him make breakfast, or maybe something simple for dinner, like grilled cheese or spaghetti. But this was Thanksgiving. This was a whole other ordeal. Alyx and Sam doubted that Dean knew the proper procedure for cooking a turkey.

"If it looks questionable," Sam said while he and Alyx were sitting in the living room the previous day, "we'll order pizza or something." he promised.

Alyx laughed, agreeing. "Or Bobby can just bring Atticus," she pointed out. Atticus was Bobby's new chocolate Labrador that he adopted shortly after his old dog was killed. "and he can eat our food under the table."

Sam grimaced. "We don't want to kill Bobby's _other _dog, Ally." he joked. Alyx went into a fit of hysterics. Having Bobby's dog there was out of the question, then.

On the morning of Thanksgiving, to their utter surprise, Dean was already slaving away in the kitchen when they got downstairs. He claimed that he had been up since before 5:30 making sure that he had everything right. Sam and Alyx were still skeptical; the…_interesting _smells emanating from the kitchen made them curious.

Missouri arrived first, at about three in the afternoon. She came with a homemade apple pie, as well as a chocolate pudding pie with graham cracker crust especially for Alyx who had a strange aversion to apple pie despite her father's obsession.

"If something goes wrong, at least we'll have these." she whispered with a smirk, handing the chocolate pudding pie over to Alyx to take into the kitchen. Apparently, Missouri didn't have much faith in Dean's cooking skills, either. Alyx took the pie into the kitchen, trying to ignore the different bowls and containers filled with steaming foods…foods that looked unrecognizable. Dean was bent over the turkey, checking it and basting it with juices. Alyx realized, with horror, that he was wearing oven mitts and an apron. Where had he found those?

Something was definitely _wrong_ with the world.

Alyx bounded back into the living room before Dean could ask her how the food looked, or some other dinner-related question. She didn't want to have to lie. And more importantly, she didn't want to hurt his feelings, since he seemed so serious about all this. Instead, Alyx avoided the kitchen altogether, spending the rest of the time before dinner with her uncle and Missouri, waiting for the others to arrive.

Once Bobby's car pulled into the driveway, Alyx leapt for the door, pulling it open to reveal the old hunter with the familiar trucker hat. He was holding a paper bag--almost like a shopping bag--in his hands. The eight-year-old wrapped her short arms around his waist in a hug, which he sort of awkwardly returned. Bobby was never good with showing affection, but he often humored Alyx just for the sake of it.

"What's that?" she asked Bobby as he stepped inside from the brisk, November air. He gave a small wave in greeting to Sam and Missouri. The elder hunter set the paper bag on a table, opening it up for them to see. Inside, there was a bag of chips and a bag cheese puffs, probably from Bobby's own cupboard.

"My contribution to this disastrous idea of you father's." he said to Alyx, who giggled. There was definitely a consensus forming--not in Dean's favor.

Alyx waited, fidgeting, for Ellen and Ash to come. She kept pacing around the room and staring out the window every five minutes to check if they'd pulled up yet. She got excited every time she was able to see Ellen and Ash, since it didn't happen very often. And Ash was like the cool older brother that she never had, so she loved hanging out with him.

When the eight-year-old heard the car park out front, she raced to the door, yanking it open even before they got halfway up the driveway. Ellen came in first, bending down to the girl's level to give her a kiss and a hug. She was carrying a tray of some sort, which she passed over to Sam as they said hello.

"You think this was a bad idea, too?" Sam asked her.

"Of course." she laughed.

Once Ash appeared in the doorway, mullet hairdo and all, Alyx pounced on him immediately. "Hey, kid, how are ya?" he asked, picking her up to give her a tight hug.

"Good!" Alyx said, ecstatic. "How 'bout you?"

"Awesome," he replied, setting her on the ground. They shared a high-five, and then he dug a small, rectangular package from his back jeans pocket. "And I brought playing cards…" he told her. It was tradition for them to play poker whenever they saw each other. Ash had taught her how to play last year; she was getting pretty good at it.

"I'm going to beat you…" Alyx said in a singsong-y voice.

"No way." Ash protested, slumping down into a chair. Alyx climbed up onto his lap.

"Yes, I am."

"No, I think you're going down, kid. I've got _more_ than a few years of experience on ya." he pointed out.

Alyx frowned. "But I've been playing for a whole year!" she exclaimed. Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, well, get back to me in a decade or so. Maybe when you're eighteen you'll beat me. Then, I'll even play ya for money."

"Really?" Alyx asked, intrigued.

"Yep. Start savin' up now."

Just then, Dean entered the living room; he was no longer wearing an apron and oven mitts. He cleared his throat loudly. "Dinner's ready." he announced. None of them had realized that Dean had been setting the table in the dining room while they were all talking. The food, the plates, the glasses, and the silverware were laid out already.

The group of them shared glances, then made their way into the dining room hesitantly. Alyx sat in between Missouri and Sam, with Bobby and Ellen at opposite ends of the table, and Dean and Ash on the other side. They looked at each other for a moment, then at the assortment of food spread out on the table. There was a bowl of corn that seemed to be overcooked, a giant bowl of very lumpy mashed potatoes, two containers of gravy, a plate containing cranberry sauce that was still shaped like the can it had come in, a basket of crescent-shaped rolls, and one very burnt turkey.

"Dig in." Dean encouraged. The adults started to pass around bowls and plates, scooping up food and placing it on each other's plates while making random conversation. As soon as everyone had all the food that they wanted (which wasn't very much), they started to reluctantly pick at it, making it look like they were eating. Dean was the only one who was genuinely eating the meal; the others were simply going through the motions, hoping the elder Winchester wouldn't notice.

"It's very…_nice_, Dean." Bobby stated, trying to humor him.

"Thanks." Dean replied, smiling proudly.

Alyx was pretending to be distracted, wishing that Bobby _had_ brought Atticus along. It would make things more entertaining. Ash was thinking along the same lines. Seeing Alyx's expression, he called her name. Her head snapped up, lips forming a large grin when she saw Ash poking at the blob of jell-O-like cranberry sauce with his fork. She tried to stifle her laughter, but it wasn't working out so well.

When Dean finally saw what Ash was up to, he smacked him in the back of the head. "Hey, didn't anyone ever tell you _not_ to play with your food?"

"You shouldn't be the one to talk." Sam muttered sarcastically, referring to his brother's rather horrid eating habits. Dean ignored the comment.

"I wasn't going to eat it." Ash told Dean.

"Why not? It's perfectly fine." Dean complained.

"No offense, but it looks…" Ash trailed off.

"What?" Dean prompted.

"Well, it looks like something out of a horror movie. Like it could suddenly start growing into this giant blob of terror and smother us…or take over the house or whatever. I feel like I could _hunt_ the thing. It's just not…_right_." he jiggled the plate for emphasis, making the jelly flop in different directions. Dean stared at him, at a loss for words. Alyx giggled, trying to imagine an enormous blob with sharp teeth invading the house. That would make an interesting hunt…

"_What_?" he asked, puzzled at his friend's wild imagination. Alyx burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, which got worse when Ash dug his hand into the blob, scooping up a handful and flinging it at the eight-year-old. It hit her in the face, but she kept laughing while the others turned their attention to Dean, worried.

"Hey!" Dean yelled. Ash ignored him, throwing the last of the cranberry jelly in Sam's direction, hitting him in the chest. Sam looked down, shocked, then everyone--except Dean--went into hysterics. Alyx got on her knees on the chair, picking up some mashed potatoes, which she threw at Ash's head. "Alyx! Don't!" Dean shouted.

"Oh, c'mon, Dean. At least the food's good for _something_." Ash said.

That remark didn't sit well with Dean. The elder Winchester, out of impulse, took the small bowl of corn off the table and dumped it over Ash's head. Ash jumped up from his chair, pushing the hot bits of corn off him, shooting a glare at Dean.

Ellen, Bobby, and Missouri watched, ducking out of the way, as random amounts of their Thanksgiving meal was thrown back and forth across the table. Food was flying everywhere; splattering the floor, the walls, the chairs. Not even the three of them were exactly safe, since they ended up with small stains of food on them. Dean, Sam, Ash and Alyx on the other hand, they were covered. Their clothes were completely ruined, and there were a fair amount of mashed potatoes smushed into Alyx's hair.

When it was all over, they had a good laugh. They cleaned up the mess, wiped off their clothes as best as they could, and sat down in the living room still hilariously recalling the events of the past half hour.

"I'm hungry." Alyx announced after awhile. The adults realized that none of them had actually eaten.

So, they spent the rest of the night playing poker while eating Missouri's pies, Bobby's junk food, and the brownies Ellen had brought with her, as well as the crescent rolls, which was the only food that they could salvage from their dinner.

Next year, they'd definitely stick to the pre-cooked meals.


	15. First Hunt

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Alyx.**

It was October 30, the day before Alyx's tenth birthday. The nine--going on ten--year old was lying on her stomach, sprawled out on the living room floor with an open book in front of her. She flipped through the book absentmindedly, skimming through the pages on myths, urban legends, and ghost stories centered on the state of Kansas; the book had been sent by Bobby out of his personal "library" as an early birthday present. Bobby had seen her so interested in the book last time she had been at his house, that he had mailed it to her yesterday, with a note telling her to keep it. However, right now Alyx couldn't pay much attention to the factual information on the pages. Her mind was elsewhere, barely containing her excitement about the approaching holiday. Turning ten was a big deal to Alyx--it meant double digits. The teenage years were a few years away, she knew, but Alyx was content with where she was as of now. She was just a kid living with a father and an uncle who were "protectors of the world" as she'd put it once.

While Alyx laid there, Sam was sitting on the couch, laptop propped up on his knees. Dean sat in an armchair, searching through the day's paper. Sam sighed, and peered over the screen of his laptop, waiting for the webpage to load. He saw his niece situated comfortably, somewhat engrossed in the book Bobby had given her. Although, he could tell that her thoughts were somewhere else. He decided to initiate a conversation on the subject that was on Alyx's mind.

"Ally, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Sam asked. Alyx looked up suddenly, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. She almost looked a little surprised.

"Oh…I don't know," she said, slowly pushing herself to a sitting position. "I didn't think about it. I was just thinking about finally turning ten." Sam knew that Alyx constantly complained about being the last in her class to have a birthday. She didn't like being the youngest.

Dean laughed. "Double digits," he said, shaking his head slightly. "You're going to make me feel old, kiddo." Alyx giggled, closing the book.

"You're not _that_ old, Daddy." Alyx reassured him.

"Thanks, Alyx," Dean smiled. And then he changed the topic, abruptly coming across an article of particular interest. "Hey, Sam, I found something."

"Yeah? Let's hear it."

"Salt Lake City, Utah. There's an old boarding house that still acts as an inn. A man was found dead in the bathroom; apparent suicide, but according to reports, there's been a few mysterious deaths in the past few years. Always on the same date. Worth checking out?"

"I'd say so." Sam agreed. Alyx was then struck with a brilliant idea.

"Sammy, I know what I want to do for my birthday now." she declared.

"Okay, Ally, what is it?"

"I want to go on that hunt with you." she stated, pointing to the paper that was in Dean's hands. Both Winchester boys glanced at each other, momentarily panicked. They knew how great Alyx was already handling the information and the weapons, but going on an actual hunt…was a different story. Dean didn't know if he wanted his little girl thrown into that sort of thing yet.

"Oh, Alyx, I don't know…" Dean replied. "It's dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

"_Please_, Daddy?" she begged, jumping to her feet. "Please, please, _please_?"

"Alyx, you're too young." Sam argued, coming to his brother's aid.

But, Alyx being…well, Alyx--and Dean's child--would not take 'no' for an answer. She had been training for about four years now, and she desperately wanted to be a part of the action. To see things in person, for herself.

Alyx approached the chair where Dean sat, dropped to her knees, her hands clasped together. She gazed up at Dean with her bottom lip sticking out and a saddened expression in her green eyes. She was totally deploying the puppy dog look.

"Please?" she asked again, making her bottom lip tremble at just the right moment. Dean put a palm over his face and shot a dirty look at his younger sibling.

"The things you teach my daughter…" he muttered. Because, really, he'd seen that look on Sam a thousand times while growing up. Sam had _invented_ that look. And now, Alyx's impression bore an uncanny likeness to her uncle's.

"Daddy, I swear I'll be good. I'll stay out of your way and I'll try not to get into trouble and I'll help you. I really, _really_ want to go."

"_Dean_." Sam warned.

"All right, Alyx, you can come." he answered finally. Alyx shot up from her kneeling position and wrapped her father in the tightest hug her small frame could manage.

"Thanks, Daddy." Alyx said, kissing his cheek.

"Dean, I can't believe--" Sam started, but was cut off by the elder Winchester.

"It's her birthday tomorrow, Sam. She's basically entitled to do whatever she wants. And, the look was pretty convincing."

The next morning, Dean was carrying a half-asleep Alyx out to the Impala at six o'clock while Sam loaded the trunk with arsenal and their belongings for the duration of the trip. Alyx was fully asleep by the time they pulled out of the driveway. She slept soundly until about eleven-thirty. When she awoke, they were driving down an almost deserted stretch of highway. Alyx knew that they were not even in the same state now; they were traveling in unfamiliar territory.

"Hey, kiddo. Happy Birthday. How'd you sleep?" Dean asked, glancing at his daughter through the rearview mirror.

"Fine. Are we there yet?"

Dean laughed. "No, not for a little while, Sweet Pea. Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "Sort of."

"We'll stop for lunch at the next town, all right?"

"Yep," Alyx said. "Dad, is…is _this _what you and Uncle Sammy do all the time?"

Sam chuckled. "Basically. We drive forever, stop in cheap motels, eat in shady diners, and then hunt. Boring, huh?"

"Sounds interesting." Alyx said, staring at the scenery--or there lack of--as they sped down the road. For Alyx, it seemed as if they had driven _forever_ when they finally came across a small town. And once Dean spotted a diner--the only one in the area--Alyx stared in horror at the shady-looking eatery. Was this the kind of place that they ate in often? Alyx wondered.

The newly turned ten-year-old sat in between her uncle and father, trying not to make eye contact with any of the other customers because some of them creeped her out. The _whole_ diner made her a bit uneasy. It was dirty, grimy, and reeked of frying grease. However, Alyx knew that if she was going to be a hunter like her dad and Sam, she'd have to get used to these kinds of places.

After an uneventful lunch, the Winchester clan piled into the Impala for another couple hours of driving. Alyx spent the time gazing out the window, trying to play little games in her head to keep herself occupied for awhile. For instance, she'd count the number of classic cars that they would pass, or count how many of a certain color car she saw. Once she got bored of that, Alyx asked Dean to put on some music. She spent an hour humming along to Metallica or Led Zeppelin, before falling asleep again.

"Ally, wake up." Sam called, shaking his niece gently. Alyx woke up and blinked, looking around. She noticed that the sun had gone down, and they were in some sort of parking lot.

"Where are we, Uncle Sammy?" Alyx asked groggily, rubbing her tired eyes.

"A motel. We're stopping for the night." Sam explained as Alyx hopped out of the car. She followed her uncle up their motel room door, which was already open. Dean was in the middle of carrying their bags inside. The ten-year-old walked hesitantly in, and was slightly appalled by the decor and design of the room. It was hedious, like she guessed it would be from the state of the outside. Too tired to care, she plopped onto one of the queen sized beds, placing her hands behind her head. She was beginning to think that that nap had made her even more tired than before, but she didn't quite see the logic behind that.

"I'm going to stop and get some food. Want anything, Alyx?" Dean asked, adjusting his leather jacket. She shook her head. "Okay, then. See ya in a little bit. Don't bother Sam too much while I'm gone." he joked. Once Dean was out the door, Alyx sat up, watching her uncle re-situating their bags that Dean had thrown haphazardly onto the floor.

"Sammy, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Sam looked up. "I think your dad said we were going to interview the woman who owns the inn."

"What do you think is going on at this inn?"

"We can't be sure yet. Maybe a vengeful spirit, or a poltergeist."

"I'm betting on a spirit." Alyx smiled.

"All right," Sam smirked. "Then, I'm holding you to it."

"Okay."

Dean seemed to be gone an awfully long time, and Alyx was beginning to suspect that he'd gotten lost on the way to get food. Or, maybe he got sidetracked. It was starting to get late and she was getting kind of worried. Although, she doubted that something could happen to him in this small town. On the other hand, trouble always seemed to find the Winchesters.

Sam and Alyx had just finished their third round of the card game 'War', when Dean entered carrying all sorts of bags and boxes. The bags contained what Alyx guessed was Chinese food--because of the smell--but the boxes were a mystery. Had her father gone _shopping_? Dean set the food on the kitchenette table, and carried the boxes over to where Sam and Alyx sat on one of the beds. Upon closer inspection, she saw that the boxes were wrapped in brightly colored paper, and there were two of them in all.

"Happy Birthday." Dean declared. A grin immediately spread across Alyx's face.

"Daddy, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Of course I did. I felt bad that you had to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere on your birthday."

"But I _wanted_ to come."

"Just humor me and open them," Dean mock-demanded. Alyx nodded, and tore off the paper of the first box. It was a new pair of jeans and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. "New clothes to wear for tomorrow." Dean explained. He'd thought that maybe she would want them for her very first hunt.

Alyx picked up the second box, which was the smaller of the two. "This is from both of us. I got it for you back in Lawrence. Thought you could use it hunting, too." She nodded, and ripped off the paper. There was a wooden box, which Alyx opened to discover a hunting knife. The blade gleamed brightly, shining in the dim light of the motel room. The handle was made of cherry wood, and as Alyx looked closer, she saw that her initials were inscribed in it. She also noticed that the knife could be folded to keep in her pocket.

"Thank you, Dad, Sam, I love it." Alyx exclaimed, giving them each a hug.

"You take care of that, Alyx," Dean ordered. He was always reminding her how important it was to take good care of hunting weapons. "Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Alyx replied, grinning. Dean glanced at his watch, suddenly aware of the time.

"You better get some sleep," he advised. "We have a busy day tomorrow."

The Winchesters were up at the crack of dawn yet again, much to Alyx's dismay. They got into the car, stopped to get breakfast, and then they were out on the road once more. After being on the road with them for an entire day, she was beginning to see the routine. Drive, eat, sleep, drive, hunt. Monotonous, but to her it was way better than school. Here, you got to see places, experience new things. School was the spending six hours of the day confined to the same dull classrooms to learn things that weren't important. Alyx felt that this was more her style; school wasn't doing anything for her.

At around noon, they arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah. It took an additional ten minutes to find the boardinghouse, which appeared to be almost deserted. An older woman was coming down the steps of the porch pulling a suitcase behind her when Dean parked the car on the side of the street. He glanced back at Alyx.

"Stay in here, okay? Sam and I have to talk to her."

Alyx frowned. "I can't come?"

"I don't think she would take us seriously--unfortunately, you don't look like a reporter from a newspaper, Ally. But you'll be able to come with us later, I promise." Sam explained.

She sighed, disappointed. "Fine."

The Winchester boys stepped out of the car, trying to see as legit as possible. They approached the woman, who was now loading her suitcase in the only car parked near the boardinghouse. She stopped once she saw them, and gave them both a puzzled and annoyed look.

"What'd ya want?" she asked coldly. Before Dean could make a comment about her apparent bad attitude, Sam spoke up.

"Are you the owner of this inn?" he asked.

"I _was_ the owner, yes. Not anymore. Damned place is a nightmare," she replied. "The last _incident_ scared away all the customers. I don't see any point in stickin' around any longer."

"Well, we're from the local paper in the town over," Sam lied. "And we'd like to ask you--"

"I already spoke with the papers. Told them everything. There ain't much else to say. The place is cursed, and that's all there is to it."

This got Dean interested. "Why would you say it's cursed?"

"Every year, someone dies on the 28 of October. The police always say it's the person who killed themselves, but I...I don't know. They kept tellin' me to close it down, but I couldn't. I needed the money. But now that no one's comin' anymore, I'm not stayin'. Honestly, the place has given me the creeps ever since I bought it."

"Have you ever heard strange noises--scratching--or seen flickering lights at the inn at all?"

"No," she answered. "but some of my customers have heard footsteps at midnight exactly. One couple even said that they saw a figure." The woman laughed. "I don't believe in ghost stories, gentlemen, but something isn't right with the place." Sam nodded in agreement.

"Do you know the history of this inn, before you bought it?" he questioned.

"As a matter of fact, the previous owner said that it was a boardinghouse in the twenties. He said something about a murder, but I don't know all the details," the woman admitted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get goin'."

"Thank you for your time, ma'am." Sam said. He and Dean walked back to the Impala, where Alyx had been sitting watching the entire interview out the window. She bounced up and down in her seat excitedly once the two of them slid into the car.

"So?" Alyx prompted. Sam turned around to face her with a grin.

"I think you're right, Ally. Looks like we may have a vengeful spirit on our hands."

"Yes!"

"After your uncle does some research, we're going to come back and take care of it tonight." Dean told her.

"Salt and burn?" she asked.

"Yep," Dean agreed. "Salt and burn."

Through the wonderful thing called the Internet, Sam was able to trace the history of the inn back to the 1920s. He found the information on the murder that the owner had mentioned. It turns out that it was a classic love triangle-type story. There was a young woman who had been staying at the boardinghouse with her boyfriend, and she had cheated on him with another single, male resident. The boyfriend had found out about this, and killed the other man during the night while he was sleeping. The boyfriend dragged the man's body out of the house and buried it somewhere on the grounds.

So, at around midnight, the three of them were outside of the boardinghouse-turned-inn, armed with shovels, rock salt, and the necessary supplies to get rid of the spirit. Alyx stood shivering from the chilly fall wind, glancing around alertly for any sign of this spirit.

"This is going to be annoying, isn't it, Sammy?" she asked her uncle, gesturing to the large amount of land surrounding the building.

"Uh, well, not really. While we were interviewing the woman earlier, I saw a patch of the ground where the grass wasn't growing, so we'll dig there first." he explained. Alyx nodded, and followed her father and uncle, dragging a shovel behind her. They got to work, digging a giant hole where the grass had died a long time ago, with no hope of returning. Dean had just uncovered the victim's remains when Alyx yawned and looked up. Her eyes fell on a semi-transparent figure pacing across the porch of the inn.

Her eyes practically bulged to twice their size. She had read about encounters with ghosts, but she hadn't actually _seen_ one personally. It was weird...and a bit scary, but Alyx wasn't that frightened by it...yet. If it came out and attacked them, then maybe she'd get a little freaked. But right now, she stared at the poor, trapped soul in curiosity. Alyx gasped loudly at one point, and the spirit seemed to hear her because suddenly he was staring at her directly.

Then, he started walking across the grass toward them. Alyx's jaw dropped, and she quickly tugged on Sam's sleeve to get his attention. Sam looked down at Alyx, who was holding onto Sam's arm for dear life. He glanced up to see the spirit covering the distance between them, and swiftly pulled Alyx behind him, holding the shotgun loaded with rock salt aimed on it.

"Dean, hurry." Sam ordered, keeping the shotgun trained on the spirit. Dean pulled himself up out of the giant hole, and grabbed the lighter fluid and salt from the bag. Seeing the closeness of the spirit out of the corner of his eye, he threw a heavy amount of each substance onto the bones and took a spare lighter from his pocket. He opened it up, threw it into the hole, and saw the remains ignite. Alyx watched as the spirit faded away, never to harm anyone ever again. Like everyone else, she wondered where exactly he was going to end up.

"Sorry I got a little...scared," Alyx apologized quietly. "I didn't think I would."

"Don't apologize, Alyx. It happens to the best of us. It's your first hunt, we'll cut you some slack." Sam promised.

"So," Dean said as they walked back to the car with all of their stuff, "You think you'd want to come on the next hunt?"

"Definitely."


	16. Harsh Words

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Alyx.**

**A/N: So sorry for the lack of updates...I've been extremely busy. Just to let you all know, I'm going to focus on finishing this fic, then I'll get back to updating the third story in the Beautiful Disaster series. **

**Enjoy! **

Alyx stood in the front hall, watching as Dean and Sam went back and forth from the house to the car, loading their hunting things into the trunk. They were going with Bobby to take care of some suspected demonic activity in a city that was nearly three hours from Lawrence. Alyx had not been permitted to go, because Dean didn't like the idea of his daughter getting involved with demons yet; they could be far more dangerous than any vengeful spirit or poltergeist. Alyx was disappointed that her father and uncle were leaving her at home for the weekend, although she wouldn't be completely alone, since the boys had asked Missouri to watch her for them.

The eleven-year-old shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clutching a piece of paper in her hand. It was an invitation to a birthday sleepover party that her friend, Erin, was holding tomorrow night. Alyx _really_ wanted to go, and even though Dean had already turned down her request, she thought it would be effective to ask again. She tried to get her father's attention next time he came back into the house.

"Dad." Alyx called, leaning against the banister of the stairs. Dean picked up a duffel bag, slinging in onto one shoulder while glancing over at his daughter.

"Yeah?" he asked distractedly.

"Can I _please_ go to Erin's party? It's not far away…I'm sure Missouri wouldn't mind dropping me off and picking me up the next morning. It's not that big of a deal."

Dean sighed. "Alyx, I'm sorry. I told you before that you couldn't go."

"But, Dad--"

"Alyx, please, I don't have time to argue. Your uncle and I have to get going," Dean answered, trying to be as patient as humanly possible. "Listen, I know you wanted to go, but I don't really know this girl and her parents, so I don't like the idea of you sleeping over."

"But, _Dad_," Alyx tried again, agitated. "_Everyone_ is going to be there! I'll be a total loser if I don't go!"

"I'm sorry, Alyx, but the answer is still no."

Alyx groaned loudly, and rolled her eyes, tears burning in the corners. She turned sharply on her heel, and stomped noisily up the stairs, muttering under her breath. Once she got halfway up, she turned back around and glared at Dean, who was still standing in the front hall.

"I'm never talking to you again!" the eleven-year-old shouted, fighting back tears. Why did her father have to be so _unfair_?

"Aww, c'mon, sweetheart. Don't be like that."

Alyx crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I hate you and I never want to see you again!" she yelled, before retreating upstairs. Her bedroom door slammed shut a moment later.

Dean knew it was just another one of her moody, overdramatic, preteen hissy fits. She didn't mean those things that she'd said, but somehow Dean couldn't ignore the sudden icy, sharp sensation that momentarily filled his chest. Her words were not sincere--they were spoken in a fit of rage; they had come out of her mouth faster than she could think about them--but Dean was a bit hurt nonetheless.

He shook his head, adjusting the duffle bag on his shoulder. "That's too bad," he said quietly. "because I love you." With that, he took another glance up the stairs and then stepped out the door into the warm, summer evening.

Missouri arrived promptly at seven o' clock to find the Winchester household completely quiet. Figuring that Alyx was upstairs, the psychic went up to the young girl's room. The door was closed, and there was an awful lot of silence coming from the other side. Compared to her previous visits when she heard Alyx's stereo turned up to near maximum volume, this was somewhat strange.

She opened the door and entered, to discover that Alyx had fallen asleep not too long ago; traces of tear stains on her pillowcase fairly visible. Missouri picked up on the fact that Alyx had not let her father go on good terms. An overwhelming sense of anger radiated from the young girl, but also remorse and guilt as well.

Alyx slept through the night, periodically waking up to toss and turn. Her dreams were filled with nightmares--reflections of the fight with her father. When the light poured through her window, Alyx awoke feeling not at all refreshed, and in a very bad mood. She went down to the kitchen in a zombie-like manner, and slid into a chair at the kitchen table. Missouri set a plate of freshly made toast and scrambled eggs in front of Alyx.

"Good Morning, honey." she said sweetly, ruffling the top of Alyx's chair. The young girl attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes as Missouri sat down across from her. The psychic sensed a strong feeling of guilt coming from the youngest Winchester. The anger had diminished during the night.

Missouri watched as Alyx ate slowly, shoving food around a lot, her eyes never leaving her plate. "Child, do you want to talk to me about something?"

Alyx shook her head 'no', and Missouri sighed, wishing that the young girl would say something.

And that's how it went for the remainder of the weekend.

Missouri would prod and ask questions, but Alyx would shrug, or simply ignore them. Alyx felt unbelievably _horrible _for what she had said to her father. It had been a stupid thing to argue about. She hadn't meant it at all, and now she really wanted to take it back. But she couldn't, and therefore, she felt extremely guilty. She just wanted her dad to come back from his latest hunt so that she could apologize to him the minute he walked through the front door.

The boys had told Alyx that they could be returning Monday afternoon at the latest. However, it was approaching five o' clock, and Alyx was getting nervous. Her father of Sam would've called by now to tell them that they were running late, wouldn't they? They could be stuck in traffic…but what if something _worse_ had happened to one of them? To her dad? A million different thoughts and possible scenarios raced through Alyx's mind as she paced near the front door, gripping the house phone in her hand. She had called her father about a dozen and a half times, but had only received his voicemail. _Why_ was his phone off? Why wasn't he answering?

"I'm sure they're all right," Missouri reassured her as she guided the young girl up to her room later that night. She tried hard to hide the hint of foreboding that she was currently feeling, and tucked a half asleep Alyx into her bed. "Just running late."

Alyx drifted off for roughly an hour, then woke up and could not go back to sleep. She stared at the clock in the darkness of the room, watching as the minutes ticked by. At around two in the morning, she heard many footsteps coming up the stairs, and hushed, but urgent voices in the hall. Quietly, she climbed out of bed and crept to the door of her bedroom, pulling it open the slightest bit. Peeking through the small space, Alyx saw Bobby and her uncle helping her father into his room, Bobby carrying a full medical kit in his other hand. The eleven-year-old caught sight of a rather large bloodstain on the side of Dean's shirt.

Alyx winced. She slid out into the hallway, just as Bobby and her father disappeared behind the door. "Dad?" she called, concerned. Sam and Missouri noticed that Alyx had joined them, and turned their attention to her. Sam approached his niece, who was peering over his shoulder at the closed door with urgency.

"Uncle Sammy, what's going on? What happened to Dad?" Sam and Missouri shared a look.

"He got hurt, Ally, but he's going to be fine," Sam assured her. "Bobby's going to take care of him."

It was then that the youngest Winchester burst into tears.

Sam pulled her to his chest, rubbing soothing circles on her back. Her whole body shook with sobs as she spoke. "I-It's all my f-fault," she cried. "I y-yelled at D-Dad before he left. I-I told him that I h-hated him and I n-never wanted to s-see him again. But, Uncle Sammy, I d-didn't m-mean it!"

Sam pulled her gently away from him, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "It'll be okay, Ally. I promise." He told his niece. Bobby emerged from the bedroom, and seeing the hysterical state that young Alyx was in, walked over with a slight smile.

"Your daddy's tough, Alyx. He's fine. I got him all fixed."

Alyx looked up, brushing more tears away. Silently, she raced into Dean's room, needing exact proof that her dad was okay. She rushed to his bedside, and discovered that his injury had been properly bandaged. He looked a little worse-for-wear, but he was all right.

"Dad?" Alyx called quietly, unsure if he was awake. Dean turned to face her, a small smirk on his face.

"Hey, kiddo." he said hoarsely.

"Dad, I'm so sorry…I don't hate you. I was mad before, but now I'm not," she said to him, her voice breaking somewhat. "I love you, Daddy."

Dean reached over and ruffled his daughter's hair. "I know," he replied. "I love you, too, Ally."


	17. Fighter

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from Supernatural is not mine. **

Twelve-year-old Alyx sat slumped in a chair in the principal's office, holding an ice pack to her swollen cheek. The icy compact provided some relief from the sting and ache of the injury that she was sure would be completely black and blue by tomorrow. It still hurt, but the preteen wasn't sulking about it; she'd gotten worse injuries on hunts. She didn't even cry when the boy's fist had made contact with her cheek--a lucky shot that she hadn't reacted fast enough to dodge--and afterward shoved her with much of his strength, making her stumble somewhat. The blow had made her fight even harder, to prove herself and to get revenge for something he'd said.

The perpetrator was a boy named Tyler, who now sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room. He was currently icing his left eye, and had little pieces of gauze in his nostrils to stop the blood flow that Alyx had caused with her fist when she'd punched him cleanly in the nose. Alyx couldn't help but be a bit proud that that stupid boy was worse off than she was.

Because--unlike Alyx--he hadn't been taught hand-to-hand combat by his family members. And, therefore, he got his ass kicked by a girl his own age, who was a few inches shorter than him, too.

And he _so _deserved it.

The whole scuffle took place during recess, after lunch. Alyx was sitting by herself on one of the swings, not really swinging but moving slowly, dragging her worn Converse sneakers through the dirt. She hadn't been in the mood to talk to anyone, since she didn't get a lot of sleep the night before and was quite cranky. She wanted nothing more to go home, and get some rest; she was just lazily waiting for the school day to end.

Tyler walked up with two of his equally vile friends at his sides to harass her. Tyler was the class bully, and took pride in picking on the social outcasts such as Alyx. He had said some mean things to her before, but she usually shrugged him off and ignored it.

Today was not one of those days.

"Hey, Winchester," Tyler greeted. Alyx did not look up. Tyler and his friends laughed, drawing closer. The young boy scrutinized Alyx from head to toe, and made a face. "Where'd you get those jeans? The _thrift_ store?" Alyx glanced at her frayed and grass stained blue jeans, her cheeks suddenly flaming with anger. It was a well-known fact that Tyler's family was quite wealthy, so he often made fun of his peers for not being as well off as he was.

Disappointed that Alyx hadn't said a word, Tyler shoved the swing violently from the back, making Alyx fall on her knees into the dirt. The young Winchester brushed herself off and glared at her evil classmate, fists clenched at her sides. Tyler laughed again.

"You're such a _reject_, Winchester," Tyler said. "You _and_ your freaky family." And to his friends, he added, chuckling, "Everyone says her dad and uncle are gay." Tyler had accused Sam and Dean of that before, and now Alyx knew what it meant, so she was plenty pissed.

That was it. That insult was all it took to make Alyx go at Tyler, furious. They shoved, pushed, and exchanged a series of punches before Alyx finally pushed Tyler forcefully to the ground. By that time, a circle had formed around them, and many of the students looked on excitedly. She knelt on top of his stomach and gave him one final, hard punch to the nose before the teacher ran over to pull her off him.

Now, Alyx and her enemy were seated in the principal's office, waiting. Tyler's mom and Dean were in the middle of a conference with the principal himself. Alyx could only wonder what sort of punishment was waiting for her for beating this idiot kid up. Would Dean be mad? He told her expressly many times before to never use hunting skills in school. But on the other hand, he always told her to stick up for her family--that family was the most important thing above everything else.

In the end, whether she was punished or not, Alyx decided that fighing that kid had been a wise choice. Not by the school's standard's, but hers.

_Family comes first. Always._ Those had been Dean's exact words.

And Alyx, acting on impulse and a short temper, had defended her family. Because, you couldn't just insult the Winchesters and expect to get away with it. That _wasn't_ how it worked.

The principal abruptly walked out of the other office adjacent to his, followed by Tyler's mom and Alyx's dad. "The two of you are suspended for three days for fighting," he declared, addressing Alyx and Tyler. "If I catch you fighting on school grounds again, you'll be expelled."

Alyx cringed at the word, and simultaneously dodged a glare from Tyler's mom, who had her hand on her son's shoulder in a warning manner. "C'mon, Ty." she told him, and proceeded to guide her son out of the office as he sulked over being beaten up _and_ punished.

Dean shook his head and walked over to Alyx as she stood up, handing the ice pack to one of the secretaries. The two Winchesters exited the principal's office in silence. Alyx ambled to the car, hating the quiet. Awkward silences were never good between the two of them. She had a strong feeling that she was going to be grounded for a long time, and possibly even be banned from hunting.

Alyx was about to open up the car door when her father stopped her. She glanced up at him, feeling sorry for herself, but altogether quite proud. Receiving a grounding or other form of punishment from her dad was worth the joy she felt for finally giving that little jerk what he deserved.

"You _know_ you're not supposed to beat other kids up, Alyxandria."

Alyx knew that usage of the full name was not a good sign...

"I know." she replied sullenly, glancing down at her feet.

"But the principal said you told him that boy was making fun of you--and of me and Sam--and that's what started the fight."

"Yes." she answered, slowly looking up to meet his gaze.

"I'm proud of you, for sticking up for yourself and your family," Dean told her. "Hell, you messed that kid up pretty bad, too." Alyx smirked. "I bet he must feel like crap--getting beat up by a girl."

"I'm pretty sure he does." Alyx agreed.

Since that day forward, Tyler didn't even _glance_ in Alyx direction...


	18. Growing Up

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. **

Alyx was thirteen now, and Dean didn't know quite how to handle that. Sure, he knew the time would come eventually when his little girl finally hit her teenage years and began growing into a young woman. But wasn't it just yesterday that he was witnessing her first steps? Hadn't it been just yesterday when he'd taken her to the shooting range for the first time?

Although she had pretty much the same personality, she was _different_ to him. She had quickly developed that know-it-all teen attitude, and witty sarcasm that Dean couldn't help but think he was responsible for. Hell, she'd make a cynical comeback to any number of things he or Sam said, and say it as if it were coming straight from her father. Sam had also become aware that Alyx was practically a mini-Dean now more than ever before. She was so much like him when he was a teenager that it was strange.

Dean watched from the living room as his daughter descended the staircase, looking somewhat taller and older (at least to him), jeans hugging her now very apparent curves. He didn't know how to take this. It had become obviously apparent that the rest of the world had noticed Alyx was no longer a little girl anymore, too. Mainly, the boys Alyx's own age. They'd do double-takes whenever Alyx was around, which pissed Dean off because they were staring at her in _that _way.

Alyx plopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV, surfing through the channels while Sam sat in a chair, working on his laptop. She looked extremely bored. Either that, or she was in a bad mood. Dean had noticed that Alyx was constantly in a bad mood lately. For the past few days, she'd had some serious mood swings. One minute, she would be all happy and smiling, and then about a few minutes later she'd be ready to bite Dean or Sam's head off. Dean began to wonder if she was bipolar or something, because he didn't remember being _that_ irritable when he was her age.

The thirteen-year-old Winchester stood up, tossing the remote onto the couch. She walked into the kitchen and began searching the cupboards--in the meantime, Dean stole the remote and changed the channel, because he was _not_ going to watch whatever sappy, _Lifetime_ movie she'd just put on. Without a word, the young girl returned to the living room with an already half-eaten bag of M&Ms in her hand, and sat back down. When she became aware that her father had changed the channel, she gave him a death glare, sighed, and went on to eating the bag of candy coated chocolates.

About an hour later, Alyx, Sam and Dean were all watching a documentary on classic rock (although Sam wasn't nearly paying as much attention to it as the other two were), when Alyx got up to go to the bathroom. As Dean was just about to drift off to sleep, Alyx called his name frantically. Dean jumped up from his seat in a hurry, and walked quickly down the hall to the bathroom door, all the while wondering why she'd need his help...

"Alyx?" he asked, a bit confused but nonetheless worried, "What's wrong?"

There was nothing but silence on the other side of the door. Sam approached his brother, looking a bit puzzled as well.

"What's wrong with her?" he whispered.

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. She won't talk to me now," he replied. "You try."

"Ally," Sam called. "Whatever it is, you can talk to us."

"Um," Alyx hesitated, "Not really."

Dean and Sam exchanged glances. Alyx continued. "No offense, but you're guys. And this is kind of a _girl_ problem."

Something clicked in the boys' heads. "Oh." they answered together, feeling quite stupid.

"Well, is there anything we can do?" Sam questioned.

Alyx thought about it. "Uh...would you mind going to the store...to get some girl things?" she asked. She couldn't bring herself to say the words _pad_ or _tampon_ around either of them. This was just awkward enough.

"Sure, Sam'll be happy to go to the store for ya." Dean replied, patting his younger sibling on the back. Sam glared at Dean.

"Dude, why _me_?" he whispered, careful not to upset or embarrass his niece.

"'Cause you would know more about it than I would." Dean said matter-of-factly, tossing the Impala's keys to Sam.

"But Dean, she's _your_ daughter."

"Yeah, well, she's your niece. Just go, Sammy."

Sam managed to give his brother one last angry stare before disappearing out the door. Dean only smirked.

Sam spent about ten minutes searching for the correct aisle where the feminine products were located, because there was no way in hell that he was going to go up to any of the people working there and ask. Once he found the aisle, he very discreetly scanned the shelves for the things that Alyx had asked for. She had told him what they were called, but Sam quickly discovered that there were many different kinds, so he was immediately perplexed. There were about three full shelves of these things... but which was the right one?

He wondered why on earth girls needed this many variations of this one product. He had no idea which one Alyx needed, because for the life of him, he couldn't remember. Super absorbent? Slender? Regular? Overnight? Maxi? Mini? With wings? Without? What the hell were _wings_, anyway? Sam stared pitifully at the shelf, then back at the empty cart he was holding. He looked up and down the aisle, making sure no one was around, and then started picking up packages of pads. Since he had no clue what to buy, he grabbed a couple of different kinds, figuring that Alyx would know what to use.

With a blush slowly creeping onto his cheeks, Sam made his way to the register. Unfortunately, there was a long line, because there was only one cash register open. So, Sam had to stand in line between some old woman and a mother with two bratty kids. The two women kept giving Sam rather weird looks, glancing at the cart full of feminine products and then at him. That wasn't the worst part. The employee working at the cash register happened to be some punky looking teenage guy, who felt just as awkward scanning the packages as Sam felt buying them.

He was going to _kill_ Dean when he got home.

Sam ambled into the house and over to the bathroom, where Dean was still standing, and held up the shopping bag full of feminine products. Dean smirked again at his younger brother. "Took ya long enough." he commented.

"Bite me," Sam retorted. He knocked on the door, and called Alyx's name. "Here, Ally." he said, opening the door just a bit to hand off the bag to her. He shut the door, and soon after, he heard Alyx laugh.

"Thanks, Sammy." she giggled.

"No problem." he muttered.

Only for his niece would Sam risk embarrassment and extremely awkward situations...


	19. Best Friends

**Disclaimer: Not mine...I don't own Supernatural, or Meg Cabot's **_**Mediator **_**Series...but I do own Alyx and Kylie.**

The thought of starting high school had brought on a flip-flopping sensation in Alyx's stomach. She'd nearly dreaded it for the past few days, and now it was _the_ day. Her first day of high school, and she just couldn't ignore the butterflies doing somersaults in the pit of her stomach. There were endless reasons why Alyx didn't want to go, but here she was, standing in front of the main doors.

High school meant dealing with people; teens her age who more or less could all be complete jerks. Not to mention the upperclassmen, who were known to pick on the little freshman. These kids would make fun of her--not that she would care...well, okay, maybe a little--and she would end up being the class reject once again. She didn't want a repeat of grade school. It'd be four more years of hell, and Sam would be lucky if she made it to college after.

Alyx entered Lawrence High School, and was suddenly overwhelmed at the amount of students crowding the halls. They were everywhere--hanging out by lockers, talking, laughing, giving each other hugs. They all knew where they were going, and what to do with themselves. Alyx felt small and severely unnoticed...and very, very lost. And everyone seemed so damn _tall_. She got onto her tiptoes and craned her neck, trying to read the signs for the new students to follow. She noticed that among the crowd, there were other kids who looked just as forlorn as she did--clearly they were freshman as well--and that made her feel somewhat better.

The fourteen-year-old glanced at her schedule once more, and following the signs, she slowly made her way to the freshman homerooms. It was impossible to move anywhere without getting shoved, elbowed or nearly smacked in the face with someone's backpack. And then there were those people who stood _directly_ in the middle of the hallway, carrying on conversations, too absorbed in themselves to notice that other students were trying to get through.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of squeezing through the mass of students and dodging locker doors, Alyx made it safely--and in one piece--to her assigned homeroom. Half of the class was already seated, so Alyx went in and sat down at a desk in the back, trying to ignore everyone's stares. She dropped her messenger bag onto the floor, leaning over to pull out a book to read. It was the third in Meg Cabot's _Mediator_ series, entitled, _Reunion_. She was steadily making her way through the series of books since she had discovered them over the summer. The books were about a teenage girl who had the ability to see ghosts, which was something that Alyx could relate to on some level.

"I've read that." Someone said, quite cheerfully. Alyx ear-marked the page, lowering the book from her line of vision. She looked to her right to see who had just spoken to her. It was a girl dressed in a Ramones T-shirt and a frayed jean skirt with black leggings underneath. Like Alyx, she wore a pair of Converse All Stars, with the exception that hers were navy blue. She had icy, blue eyes and blond hair with hot pink and electric blue streaks--it was a wonder that Alyx hadn't noticed her before. She seemed like the type of person who dyed their hair odd colors on a regular basis.

Since this girl was the very first person to have said a word to her, Alyx decided to continue some sort of conversation with her. "Really? I think it's a good series so far." she replied.

"Wait 'til you get to the other books," the girl smiled. "They're awesome...but I won't give anything away." The girl paused, shifting in her chair. "My name's Kylie. Kylie Baker." The punky teen held out a hand for Alyx to shake.

"Alyx," she replied, shaking her hand, "Alyx Winchester."

Kylie blinked, a smirk forming on her lips. "Winchester, huh? Like the rifle?"

Alyx laughed. Her family had heard that statement more than a few times. "Yeah," she answered, giggling, "Like the rifle."

"_Sweet_," Kylie said. "So, you like those kinds of books? About ghosts and all that?"

Alyx hesitated briefly before nodding. "Yeah."

"Me too," Kylie agreed. This interested Alyx even more. Kylie reached into her backpack and pulled out a book that she had been reading, and handed it to Alyx. It was about different famous ghost stories throughout the United States. "My Aunt Genevieve got this for me. She knows I'm into that sort of thing."

"Cool," Alyx said, flipping through the pages. She gave it back to Kylie. "It's nice to know someone besides me has an interest in the paranormal." Kylie nodded in agreement, as the bell rang for first period. The two girls stood, grabbing their belongings.

After they discovered that they didn't have first period together, Kylie told Alyx, "I'll meet up with ya at lunch, okay?" To which Alyx nodded, smiling. "Awesome. See ya around, Winchester."

For once, Alyx didn't mind being addressed by just her last name. And she realized that maybe high school wouldn't be so bad after all. This girl, Kylie Baker, had been nice to her--they had even found that they had something in common with each other.

No, high school wouldn't be so horrible after all.


	20. Double Trouble

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own a thing except for the characters I created.**

"Oh, come on, Alyx. It'll look totally awesome." Kylie Baker was arguing as she and Alyx sat around her room, listening to a new CD she had gotten from their shopping excursion a few hours earlier. Alyx was lying across the bed while Kylie was kneeling on the floor holding a Sharpie, writing a message on her friend's hole-ridden and frayed blue jeans. Alyx stared up at the ceiling of Kylie's bedroom, which was glittered with glow-in-the-dark stars. She was trying to brush off her best friend's most recent request. She stayed quiet for awhile, holding her breath from the overwhelming odor of permanent marker, paying attention to the song playing on Kylie's stereo.

"_Alyx_," Kylie demanded, half-laughing, placing the cap back onto the marker. She tossed the Sharpie onto her nightstand and stood up. The tall blond grabbed her friend's arm and attempted to pull her to a sitting position. Stubbornly, Alyx wouldn't budge; she yanked her arm out of Kylie's grip, groaning in disproval. "Come _on_! I'm telling you, it will look amazing. Just _try_ it."

"No." The young Winchester protested. There was no way in hell that Kylie was going to go through with dying her hair. Not if Alyx wanted to live to see her sixteenth birthday. Kylie seemed pretty confident that she was going to dye it somehow, even if she had to secretly do it when Alyx fell asleep. Which would be extremely hard to accomplish.

"Why ever _not_?"

Alyx finally sat up, without Kylie's assistance. "My Dad would kill me if I came home looking like that," she replied. "And Sammy would help him."

Kylie laughed. "Dude, they would not _kill_ you over a little dye job," she disagreed. "Besides, this stuff is only semi-permanent."

"I don't know, Ky…"

Rolling her eyes, Kylie walked over to a shelf where she stored an assortment of makeup, skincare, and hair products. She motioned for Alyx to follow, and she grudgingly got up and made her way over. On one of the shelves was a number of semi-permanent dyes, in a wide variety of colors. Kylie put her arm over the shorter girl's shoulders, and gestured to the shelf like she was Vanna White introducing a new _Wheel of Fortune _puzzle.

"Pick one."

In the end, Alyx gave in and went with a very bright lime green color. She figured that it was no use arguing with her friend any longer, because Kylie always managed to get her to do things she wouldn't normally agree to, but eventually found to be totally worth it once it was over and done with. Actually, in the past year and half, Kylie Baker had convinced Alyx to go through with a number of rebellious things that she had found to be fun, but Sam and Dean hadn't particularly liked.

For instance, during the middle of freshman year, they were going to be forced to participate in a lab which involved dissecting frogs. Kylie and several other animal rights activist students planned something which they called a 'sit-out' in order to protest the injustice. Alyx had agreed to participate, because she hadn't liked the prospect of cutting open an animal in the first place, no matter how small it was.

The group of them sat out of their classes for the entire day, taking up residence in the hallway outside of the biology room. They refused to take part in the lab, and any other class until the biology teachers stopped making their students do it. They sat in silence, holding signs bearing the message, _Cut Class Not Frogs!_, and handing out flyers to their fellow students about to enter class. Kylie, Alyx, and their comrades gained quite a following by the end of the school day.

Unfortunately, the principal came at the start of ninth period to tell them that they were all going to be suspended for holding such a demonstration. It didn't matter much to Alyx, who'd been suspended once already in her life. Kylie, however, decided to speak out against their punishment, stating that they were using one of their basic freedoms as American citizens. However, the principal, Mr. Williams, was quick to point out that they'd violated school policy for cutting class, and were to be punished for doing so.

Alyx's father and uncle hadn't been happy with the fact that she'd been suspended during her first year of high school. Fortunately, Sam had disagreed with grounding her, because he had been proud that she'd stood up for something that she believed in.

There was also another time when Kylie had persuaded Alyx to egg a teacher's house with her. This had been at the end of freshman year. Their teacher, who taught their Global class, was a real jerk who couldn't really teach to begin with. He was terrible at it. It had been a long year of hell in the form of endless notes, pointless lectures, and horrendous grades. The two of them had managed to pass the course and the exam, but only by the skin of their teeth.

Kylie had gotten a week's grounding for barely passing the final, and Alyx hadn't made out any better. Kylie had disliked the teacher from the start, and wanted revenge on him for ruining her first week of summer vacation. Conveniently--and disturbingly enough--the teacher lived a few streets over from where Kylie's house was located. So, Kylie got the _brilliant _idea to egg his house as payback.

Alyx was reluctant to help her friend with the little scheme, but she liked the thought of giving the man some payback for the year of pure torture they'd suffered. So, at the end of the second full week of summer break, Alyx successfully snuck out of her house and rode her bike to Kylie's. From there, the two of them rode carefully to the evil teacher's house, armed with eggs. it was a difficult task to carry out, but they made it with few casualties.

Then, they put the plan into action, launching multiple eggs at the teacher's front door and window. They hightailed it out of there as fast as humanly possible, being careful not to leave any evidence behind. Luckily, they escaped without getting caught by the teacher, or getting the cops called on them. Sadly, Alyx was unable to avert the authority figures who ruled her own household, and was sentenced to a week and half grounding after her father caught her trying to sneak back in through the kitchen window. For the record, it had been very enjoyable while the fun had lasted.

For some weird reason, Dean and Sam still allowed Alyx to hang out with Kylie even after their rebellious freshman year antics.

And now, Alyx was allowing her best bud to do something else that her father would probably not approve of. It was too late to back out now, considering Kylie was almost finished putting the streaks of intense, lime green dye in her hair. And she had this incredibly pleased grin on her face.

"And Voila!" Kylie exclaimed, turning the young Winchester so that she could see her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "There you have it. All done. It wasn't so bad, was it?"

Alyx ran her hands through her newly dyed hair, grinning. It looked so cool, but…

Her father was _so_ going to freak out.

"Well? How do you like it?" Kylie inquired.

"It's awesome," she answered. "only I'm not so sure that my dad and uncle would agree."

Kylie put her hands on her hips. "You're still worried about _that_?" Alyx nodded, and the taller girl let out a sigh. She dragged her friend back into her room, where she went digging around for something for over twenty minutes while the dye was drying. She fished out a hot pink bandana, and told Alyx to put her hair up. Then, Kylie placed the bandana over Alyx's hair, to cover most of it.

Alyx stared at her friend, confused. "Ky? Umm, you can't really expect me to wear this 'til the dye fades…"

"I _know_, Winchester," she stated impatiently, but with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm going to come with you to show your new dye job to your dad."

So, she and Alyx rode back to the Winchester's house, quickly stowing their bikes in the driveway before entering. They found Dean sitting in the living room. Kylie spotted him first.

"Mr. Winchester," Kylie called, as they made their way into the room, "We've got something to show you."

"Oh, God," Dean half-muttered, feigning dread, "You've found another way to corrupt my daughter, haven't you?"

Alyx walked sheepishly in front of her father, who made a face once he saw the bandana on her head. Kylie untied the bandana, and Alyx's light brown hair fell back into place, the newly dyed streaks standing out clearly. She bit her bottom lip nervously, waiting for her father's reaction. Dean simply stared, rendered momentarily speechless.

Seeing Dean's shocked expression, Alyx stated quietly, "It's semi-permanent."

Kylie frowned. "Do you hate it?"

Finally, a smirk formed on Dean's lips. "It's cool." 

Alyx thought she had heard him wrong. "_Really_?"

"Yeah," he replied. "_I _think it looks pretty cool. But Sam might not like it."

Sam was passing the living room when he heard his older brother mention his name. "What?" he asked, standing in the doorway, curious. Then, he noticed his niece's new hairdo, his jaw almost dropping to the floor. "Ally, what the hell happened to your hair?"

It was then that Kylie and Alyx could only just laugh.


	21. Destiny

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Supernatural. I only own Alyx, Kylie, and Oliver.**

**A/N: Last chapter!! I know, so sad...but this chapter leads right into the ever important scene in Beautiful Disaster where our young couple meet. **

It was destiny from the moment he stepped into the room.

Their meeting was practically inevitable. They were soul mates, plain and simple.

She'd dreamed of him weeks before he showed up at her school. It was some sort of vision that she had been seeing every night recently. They were never good dreams--they were nightmares. She'd see him taking her hostage, tying her up in the basement of some random house that she didn't recognize. His expression was so full of anger, but somehow, she'd always wake up feeling captivated by him. He had a way about him that was absolutely…attractive.

And when he walked into her homeroom that fateful October day, Alyx Winchester wasn't sure if she should be incredibly afraid of him or be unbelievably infatuated with him. She watched carefully as he took his seat, slouching in his chair. He was definitely one of the hottest guys her age she'd ever laid eyes on.

If _this_ what love at first sight was like, Alyx was undeniably experiencing it.

She stared at him, knowing that this mysterious stranger was certainly deadly…but she was still ogling him nonetheless. He was looking straight ahead, but Alyx could picture his gorgeous turquoise eyes perfectly--it was one of his features that had stayed with her even after those horrible dreams.

Meanwhile, he was studying the front of the classroom, bored out of his mind. Starting in a new school was always the same. He'd been through it numerous times, and after awhile, it got extremely old. He'd made a mental note to himself this morning to not get too attached to this place, or anyone in it. He thought of it as a temporary stay; he and his mother would be out of here soon. Four months, tops. They'd find him and his mother again, and she'd search for a completely different school in some other random town. And he'd be subjected to this all over again. It was a never-ending cycle.

As he glanced down at his desk, he could feel someone else's gaze on him. Somehow, he could just _tell_ that someone was watching him. He wasn't particularly bothered by it, but he was curious as to who it was. He figured that it was most likely a jock who'd be plotting to beat him after school because he was the new kid. Or, a blond--captain of the cheerleading squad, perhaps--hoping to catch his attention.

In the interim, Kylie had finally managed to pull Alyx's gaze from the new boy, and was now teasing her about it. There was no doubt that Alyx was constantly checking out people of the opposite sex; for as long as Kylie had known her, she'd been that way. But even Kylie had picked up on how different it was this time around. Sure, she was making fun of her friend, but she could tell that there was a different look in her eyes. From the moment she had spotted this guy, she'd fallen in love with him. It was the weirdest thing. Kylie had only seen the whole 'love at first sight' deal in the movies, but now she felt as if she was truly witnessing it.

Curiously, he looked out of the corner of his eye, to see who had been watching him so intently. He noticed a girl sitting diagonally from him, who was now talking to another girl who had black streaks in her blond hair. He didn't know how or why, but he knew it was her. She wasn't looking his way anymore, so he discreetly turned his attention to her. She was beautiful, with long, light brown hair and--as far as he could tell--green eyes. She had that sort of 'bad girl' appearance; she was different from the nameless other girls he'd met in the past. He found himself studying her closely, suddenly taken by her very presence. She had a certain strength about her, something that was worth admiring.

Unexpectedly, he hoped to make her acquaintance. Wished to have classes together, get to know a bit more about this girl. He went back on his mental note not to get too attached. As far as he was concerned, he was way too attached already. Maybe they wouldn't find them this time…maybe they could stay longer…

As if by fate, they ended up being in the same Latin class. He surveyed the girl, who entered the classroom and by a good stroke of luck, decided to sit next to him. She didn't say anything, just simply sat down and got prepared for the day's lesson. He didn't know what to do, either. He wanted to talk to her, but didn't know what to say. He'd never gotten so lovesick before in his life.

"You're in my homeroom, aren't you?" he asked her, unable to come up with a better way to start the conversation. She looked at him, surprised.

"Yeah. And you're the new student, right?" she questioned.

"Yep. Just transferred here."

"That's cool," she said, smiling. He almost died on the inside--her smile was absolutely enthralling. "I'm Alyxandria, by the way. Most people call me Alyx."

"Oliver," he answered, giving her a smile. Alyx was equally mesmerized by his grin, just as he had been by hers. "Oliver Devereaux."

Neither one of them knew it then, but just by that simple exchange of conversation, their destiny together was immediately set in motion. A modern-day _Romeo and Juliet _tale of epic, supernatural proportions.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who read this story and reviewed! Hope you enjoyed it! **

**And, please check out 'A Beautiful Lie', which is a story telling about how Lily (Oliver's mom) met the guy who was possessed by the YED and what Oliver's life was like before he met Alyx. Please, please give it a chance! I'd love for people to review and tell me what they think. It starts off a bit slow, but I promise Oliver's story is just as interesting. Thanks!**


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